


From the Heavens

by Sakuraiai



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura & Lance (Voltron) are Siblings, Alternate Universe - How to Train Your Dragon Fusion, Alternate Universe - Space, Boys In Love, Cuban Allura (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Cute, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Flying, Galran Prince Keith (Voltron), Keith is Toothless, Keith is Yorak, Language Barrier, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sweet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2019-09-19 17:47:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 50
Words: 84,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17006280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sakuraiai/pseuds/Sakuraiai
Summary: (Based loosely on How to Train Your Dragon)Crash landing onto a primitive planet after a two thousand year slumber, Prince Yorak, Future Alpha and Saviour of the once prosperous Daibazaal finds himself with a broken leg and no way of escaping.So of course this is the perfect time for him to meet the gorgeous caramel skinned Terran, Lance and fall in love with him in one fatal swoop.But with a war raging, and the threat of a monster ready to swallow the galaxy whole one planet at a time, the prince is going to have to figure out how to get Lance to understand that he is not one to be hidden away.Too bad they can’t understand each other.And what the quiznak is a Keith and why is the pretty Lance calling him that?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So after the season that will not be named (don't get me wrong, I know Voltron is not a love story, and I didn't really expect KICK to happen. I know it is an action and adventure and I loved it because its a freakin' fantastic show.) But this season that will not be named has upset me. However, that has given me a lot of reasons to write AU's. Just like this one.
> 
> Just so you know, I will be focusing on this after my Venom Klance fic.
> 
> I hope you like it!

 

The star date was starting its next millennium. The Galran race was on the cusp of yet another new year. Their world hadn’t iced over, nor had it heated up, neither had it hurtled itself towards the strong gravitational pulls of the planets around it as it was fabled to do so many centuries ago. The well of Quintessence that made their life force was increasing infinitesimally, instead of depleting. Technology was evolving. Life on the planet was better than it had ever been before. Daibazaal was, as it always had been, walking forward.

However Yorak, Crown Prince and Saviour of Light to the throne to the Galran Kingdom found himself at a standstill.

He could still remember sitting in the observatory he frequented in the palace he called his home, thick tombs of space and star related books on the table next to him, peering in to the telescope protruding out from the highest tower on the eve of the new year. He loved coming here staring at the once beautiful blood red sky outside.

An ominous blue cloud had ripped through the ever present atmosphere, creating fissures of thunder crashing along the skies. Lightning fizzled like a strobe light show. It hurt his eyes, but he couldn’t stop looking at the beauty of it. The entire kingdom was standing on the raised platform roads outside, their gazes fixated on what he was looking at. It was so beautiful. And just like everyone else. Yorak knew that this was the end. Their planet was being destroyed.

The clock struck midnight, marking the start to another millennia. But the once ephemeral chimes that woke the city to the new year seemed less beautiful now. The new millennium year was supposed to be blissful. It was supposed to bring a new life to those who wished for it. Technology and businesses were supposed to boom, life was supposed to be better.

But this fateful day was the worst day of Yorak’s life.

Daibazaal was a peaceful planet. Their sustenance of Quintessence came from the very earth they took care of made it so they didn’t want for anything else. It left their planet without worry for any intergalactic invasions. Those who ventured rarely left after witnessing the beauty of the planet. However, the Galran’s were very invested in intergalactic travel, But space soldiers were few and far apart.

The king, his father, with the help of the prince, had used the budding technology to create Sentries; robotic soldiers that could withstand anything, even deep space. With these sentry soldiers, the Galran's thought they were safe from the weather, from the abnormality in the sky. They were wrong.

They were much too late to the game. With the blue cloud came a monstrous demon with a harrowing breath that brought a virus to the Galran's, a virus with devastation in its mind. The extra-terrestrial epidemic had swept through the small world within days, causing pandemonium. Lightning filled clouds covered their once clear red skies, black tar like acid rain fell from the skies in torrential rivulets. The air thickened, making it harder to breath.

It had started off so small. An anomaly, a case of freak weather that was not all that uncommon to Daibazaal. But it escalated quicker than they had imagined possible, turning into something uncontrollable. The sufferers started off with small cases of influenza, but then suddenly, without warning, they would heat up to such an antagonising state they would melt from the inside out. Bodies were dropping like the black rain that fell from the darkened skies. And all the Galran’s could do was watch in horror and fear.

The remaining world leaders had spoken with the king and sent out a decree for a planet-wide evacuation. Masses of the remaining population were sent into ships and space vehicles, forced to other worlds as a haven. The rule was simple, if you showed any signs of illness, you’d be shipped right back to die. It was cruel, but essential. It was for the growth and preservation of a new Galra, a new humanity.

But the monstrous space beast had learned, the clouds thickened, lightning roared and rain fell harder. It was impossible for the Galran’s to retreat from their primitive planet to the stellar age of space. They were stuck, stranded on a dying planet they once called home.

No longer a haven. Yorak looked forward to being frozen.

 

Prince Yorak watched in awe as the place he once called home drifted from his view. Daibazaal, the large planet that held all of their God’s creations within itself was disappearing, getting smaller and smaller, leaving only darkness in its wake.

A prince leaving the place he called his home, leaving his family, his friends, his very culture, all so he could survive and continue on the Galran line. His gaze turned from the porthole window of the large bunker ship he was sitting in. Small lights were inlaid into the wall, creating an eerie dimness, showing some of the passengers and hiding many others. Everyone here was a palace worker or an important dignitary, but right now, they were all one in the same.

The metal seats were freezing and hard, the straps across his chest holding him into place were too tight and cutting into his skin. But Yorak wasn't afraid…he was ready to embark on this adventure, however scary it may be. He had dreamed of this ever since he had been a little cub. And he couldn't wait to go out there and see the universe. Protect it from the same fate that had fallen on his home planet.

He was going to make his mother proud and be the beacon of light, the Saviour, he was going to be the alpha Galran like his father had wanted him to be. He was going to go out into the new world and show that he was worthy, that he was not just some mere prince, but a Galran of standing, someone to be revered, to be followed. He was going to go out there and learn the cultures of the planets, he was going to befriend the locals and he was going to start a coalition to save his planet, and his people.

He looked around the bunker ship. There were hundreds of young Galran’s seated to the metal, strapped in just as tightly as he was. They were some of the last of their kind, the chosen few out to find a new place to call home. There was no turning back now. The scent of polished metal was revoltingly new to Yorak, the iron like smell made his stomach turn. Other than the sound of the ship and the laboured breathing of those who were afraid, there was no sound. No one spoke. Only one thought running through their minds.

They would never see their home again.

Space…was a silent place indeed.

Memories of his parents erupted in his mind. His mother, the Queen who used to care for him, his father who used to tell him stories when he was afraid. He had left them behind. Would they remember him when he finally returned to a new age? Would they have survived so long?

Yorak felt the young girl sitting next to him shiver. He remembered her as one of the students in his sisters classes. Axca was always such a beautiful and lovely teacher to the young cubs. She had come to the sickness so quickly, trying to save her children, no one had seen it coming.

Yorak's heart ached at the memory of his lovely sister, of just how much she would tease him for his smaller stature, his native ways, his fighting skills. She was the sibling he would miss the most.

Looking down at the little cub, he noticed she reminded him of his sister. He suddenly felt a duty to take care of her. She was still shivering fiercely in her seat. Was she scared? Yorak wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, hoping to give her some hapless solace. Poor thing looked only to be around six years old, having to go through such an ordeal at such a young age. Looking around, Yorak noticed that most of the people that inhabited the bunker were young children. The young were the slowest to get sick, the last to die when the disease hit.

“I'm scared, your majesty,” She muttered, burying herself into Yorak’s arm.

“Everything will be okay,” Yorak leaned his cheek into the young girl’s hair, patting her soothingly on her back, the same way Axca would do for him whenever father went away for his expeditions. Could Yorak really believe such a thing he was telling her? Would everything be okay? There was no telling what the other planets would be like. He didn’t have any information on other worlders other than the stories his mother used to tell him and the books he read through. But he knew how to keep a child from worry. “Tell me your name?”

“Lucinda, my prince,” She muttered, grasping onto Yorak’s arm as if he were her only sanctuary. “Please, don't leave me like mama and papa did.”

Yorak’s heart broke. She thought her parents had abandoned her. In some way, they had. He tightened his grip on the young girl and shook his head, whispering into her hair. “I’ll protect you. I won't let anything happen to you.”

A screeching siren erupted through the room followed by flashing red lights. Yorak’s attention turned to the metal frame at the far end of the bunker. He held his hands to his ears, wanting to block out the cries of the siren. Most of the passengers' attentions turned to the doorway, fear and confusion gripping them. What was going to happen?

A sentry stepped through the door, dressed completely in new age black armour, holding a large gun to his side. His armour spanned over his body, clipping at the elbows and knees and layering at the neck, hard enough to withstand an explosion, but flexible enough for ease in movement. His face was covered by a black helmet like mask; the glass of his helmet was tinted black. He held his gun in front of him and Yorak’s heart stopped.

The sentry was pointing the gun at _him_.

Yorak’s throat dried up, tears stinging his eyes. What was going on?

“Your majesty, please bring the child and follow me,” His voice was gruff and full of authority. Yorak turned to look at the young girl sitting next to him. She was shivering a lot more now, beads of sweat trickling from her brow as she buried herself deeper into her chair.

The heat of the sentry’s gun was pointed at the little girl, but Yorak didn't allow it, instead he held his arm in front of the girl, making the sentry point the gun at him again. “Leave her alone.”

“She is infected.” He stated.

With those words, the bunker erupted into chaos, loud screams and gasps echoed against the metal. The once suave dictators and presidents, mayors and royals were whining like little children, trying to claw away from the young girl, the tightness of the straps cutting into them, preventing them from moving much.

“She’s afraid,” Yorak reasoned. They couldn't blame an illness on a fearing child.

The sentry didn’t listen however. He took hold of the young girls arm and unstrapped her from the belts. Yorak yanked at his own straps, wanting to help the young child. He promised he would protect her! A second sentry came from the doorway, looking exactly like the sentry before them. He grasped tightly at Yorak’s hand and unstrapped the prince from his seat. Yorak held back a wince as the sentry yanked him up from his seat and took him and the young girl through the sealed doorways.

This room they entered was a technological geeks dream. There were buttons and wires of all kinds and screens almost everywhere. There was a walkway leading from the doorway and around a large circular platform that stood in the very centre of the room. Six tall tubes rose from the ground and cut off at the middle, reaching up to the ceiling. Wires of all sizes protruded from the top and the bottom of the tube, lacing around like snakes under the metal walkway.

The man held the young shivering girl up and placed her inside a tube. The glass slid over and seamlessly fell into place with a quiet whoosh, locking the girl inside. Fear made Yorak feel sick. The man’s grasp on his arm tightened. He thumped his fists into the sentry’s arms, hoping to get away. Seeing that was futile, he reached for a knife he kept in his boot and slammed it right into the sentry’s chest. The sentry didn’t even flinch, just let out a few sparks from where he had been stabbed. The sentry wrapped a tight arm around Yorak’s waist and hoisted him up. Yorak struggled, thrashing his arms and legs, screaming at the sentry to stop as he put him into a large tube. The thick glass slid down, caging him in.

“I am your crown prince, I demand to be released!” Yorak pounded against the unbreakable glass, hoping desperately that there would be some sort of permeable nook, a crack, anything. But to no avail.

His heart sunk to his stomach, the palms of his hands raw red from beating onto the glass as he heard a clang and looked up to the sound. Some sort of smoke drifted in from one of the tubes coating Yorak’s skin with a glittery sheen. What was this? The glitter was absorbed into his skin almost immediately. The plumes of smoke appeared again and again until his body felt heavy. Beads of sweat moistened his skin. Yorak suddenly felt very lightheaded. What had they just given him?

He turned to the other tube in the room. Lucinda looked so frightened. He wanted desperately to help the young girl. But Yorak was getting so sleepy. He held his hand to the glass, watching as the young girl did the same. She had dropped down to the ground, unable to take the glittering medication.

“Don’t worry,” Yorak thought weakly to her. He hoped that Lucinda could hear him, but he didn’t get a reply. His own eyes were half lidded and he could barely see. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

His eyes closed and all he could see was darkness.

 

 

The incessant sound of a distant beeping roused Yorak from his less than peaceful slumber. There was a slight strain on his neck from the cylindrical thick glass that was his prison. Yorak sighed, groggily opening his eyes and soon wishing that he hadn’t.

What…the…?

The entire room was blinding white, making Yorak squint at the brightness. The walls were metallic white and close to his prison. He sat up; wanting to stretch out, but there was only so much that he could stretch, only so far that he could go.

_Where am I?_

The container was different than the one before. It wasn’t complete glass; the bottom was bordered with white metal with holes for pipes and wires. Before him was a large window where more guards and scientist sat peering at their computers and other gadgetry. They had moved him.

“What is going on?” Yorak pounded his fists against the glass, hoping to gain their attention. They didn’t look Galran, their skin was a pale stony brown in colour, eyes beaded and yellow, similar to his own. They were all bulky, with large arms and thick trunk like legs. Yorak had remembered seeing pictures of their kind from the libraries in Daibazaal; they were Balmerans!

Stupid Balmerans it seemed. They wouldn’t have put Yorak in a glass container if they knew just what he was capable of.

But the Balmerans paid no heed to him; instead, they stood up to greet an old man who walked into the room from the back. Yorak pressed his hands on the glass not able to hear them clearly. It was as if he was underwater, the voices were there, just…not clear. That glittery powder must have done something to him. The man seemed to be yelling at them, something Yorak couldn’t fully fathom, all he was getting was snippets, but the man was pointing in _his_ direction. Yorak sighed, sitting back down, wishing he could stretch his legs.

How long had he been out for? He didn’t know.

The wall slid open and a large and hulking Balmeran wearing a glass mask walked over to him.

“Where am I?” Yorak asked him. The bulky and stone coloured man gazed up at him, hearing his question and walked over to the tube. Yorak’s mind was suddenly filled with his thoughts. Of animalistic creation, a giant whale like creature that was humongous in size, larger than the planet he had called his home. A monster that swam through space without the need of a ship, and how it travelled through the expanse of thee universe, destroying everything with its gaping maw like they had destroyed Daibazaal.

Yorak sucked in a breath when his thoughts returned to him. The Balmeran had let him see what the future would hold. His final thought thrummed into Yorak’s mind. _“Please…help us.”_

The Balmeran pressed his gloved finger against the glass and Yorak could see a small screen pop up on it. There was a picture of him followed by inverted writing and numbers, there was a red pulsing figure spinning in a circle next to the writing. Were these his statistics? The Balmeran nodded to him, but his eyes peered back to the people standing, watching. He needed Yorak to play along; they didn’t know his powers and his potentials.

“Galran, you are a prisoner here.” He continued to project his thoughts to Yorak’s mind. _“There’s something about you we don’t understand,”_

Yorak’s eyes widened. They were going to experiment on him?

“Have you always been this warm?” The Balmeran asked, flicking his fingers on the glass and turning the screen around to show Yorak the internal temperature.

“Is that bad?”

The Balmeran relocated the screen back. “With the outbreak and annihilation of Daibazaal Prime, we cannot risk the epidemic getting out,” _I will do all I can to make sure you are safe, dear prince._

Yorak's heart stopped, as did everything else around him. No, this couldn't be true. This...this couldn't be true! “An-annihilation? Daibazaal…has been annihilated?”

The Balmeran nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

“What about Lucinda?” Yorak asked, his thoughts returning to the little girl. His brain felt fuzzy, how long had he been cooped up in this place for?

The Balmeran looked away. _“You’ve been asleep for two thousand years.”_ He didn’t say anything else, leaving Yorak alone with a shiver of disdain. Two thousand years? It had been two thousand years?

Was Lucinda alright? Was she infected? Were his parents okay? Had they escaped? Had Daibazaal really been...annihilated? Was there really no place Yorak could call his home anymore? Was he even a  _prince_ any more?

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the door to the room sliding open and two white suited Balmeran guards walked through the doorway. They stood in front of the Balmeran and he was forced to return to his post.

“What the hell is going on?” Yorak yelled, grief stricken. Yet his current priority was to get out of this prison.

The old willowy off-world alien stood before him. He wasn’t Balmeran, but Yorak couldn’t place where he had seen this man from. He was obviously the captain of the vessel with the way he was yelling at the scientists before. His face covered by a mask with a glass visor. Yorak was usually good at reading people’s body expressions. But this man was abnormally still, not…right. The visor covered the top half of his face, but his mouth, there were large black slits from the edges of his lips that ran to the centre of his cheeks.

“We cannot risk our ship or our planet with your kind, Galran,” His voice was somewhat distorted, but the way he said that made Yorak feel even worse than he already was.

“What have you done with Lucinda?” Yorak asked. If this man was the head honcho of the space ship, he’d know where she was. At least Yorak could save  _her!_ She may be the last Galran left.

The man let out a ‘tut’, shaking his head. “She was infected, so we sent her back.”

“What?” Yorak was astounded. Sure it had been two thousand years since he last saw the girl. But, that couldn’t be possible. Lucinda hadn’t even felt warm, she was just a scared girl who had lost her parents...and who was sent back alone to a dying planet to be killed by the destructive weather. She was so young. She couldn’t possibly look after herself while she was ill.

Yorak thudded his fists at the glass tube in anger. “She was a child! How could you send her back to that?”

“It happened such a long time ago, she’s most likely dead,” The man narrowed his gaze at Yorak. “You should be more worried of yourself,”

Yorak paused at that. “Am I…infected?”

The man motioned for the two guards. “You, my prince, are different. Something I can’t have frolicking about in New Haven.” He leaned closer to Yorak, reaching his gloved hand to the glass and a sadistic smirk rose to his face. “Dispose of him,”

He rapped his knuckles against the glass and turned, swiftly making his way out of the he room. The others followed quickly behind. White smoke came in plumes from the wires around the tube coating around Yorak and making him feel sleepy once again. His eyes barely open, he felt the ground below him started to shake violently. The white floor split in six sections from underneath him, showing the inky darkness of deep space.

His tired gaze lifted up to the man, who was waving goodbye to him from behind the thick glass. Yorak held his breath as he was sucked out into space.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has commented and kudosed!  
> It means so much to me!

How _dare_ they?

Yorak’s eyes turned heated as he watched as the man he loved was being taken away from him. He kicked and bit and screamed at the men holding him back as he watched his love, his very heart, being forced into the large glass coffin by two large cloaked men. He squirmed and wriggled his way out, struggling to get free, but one of the men’s fists landed on his chest, knocking the wind right out of him.

“No!” He cried, watching with agony as the transparent doors closed over his beautiful lovers’ body as he struggled against the men, tears streaming down his eyes as he tried to reach for him. “Please, no!” Yorak tried with all of his might to get away from the men holding him, snarling and scratching through flesh and bone, blood splattering and dripping all over his body as he tried to escape. He had to get to him! Three more men jumped onto his back, dragging him down as he tried, tried, and tried to get closer.

He had to get to his love. He had to protect him!

But the men’s grips only tightened, their nails digging into his skin, creating welts of blood that streamed down his body.

“Lance!” he roared, growling through his sharp fangs. He watched as his lover thudded his pale fists against the glass, but it didn’t crack or break. Lance’s eyes were brimming with tears, tracking down his pale skin. With a roar, he broke through the five that held him back and cut his way through to the coffin, but before he could get there, more men emerged, piling over him.

He tried as hard as he could to reach for the coffin, placing his hands against the glass wall. But that wall became a barrier, an obstruction that had been made impossible to overcome.

“Keith!” Lance mouthed to him, but his voice was muffled. He looked so scared, Yorak wanted this to end, wanted the glass to disappear, he wanted to hide in Lance’s arms, those arms that had protected him, made him feel safe and secure. Made him feel loved.

Devastation gripped him as reality sunk deep in his heart. He was going to lose him, after everything they had done, everything they had been through. He was going to lose his love. In anger, he clenched his fists and began to beat against that glass wall, that obstruction. He had to save Lance. His love was in terrible danger. Yorak couldn’t lose him, he wouldn’t…Lance was best friend, his love…his mate…Lance was the very air he breathed…

He felt bodies and arms pull him back, away from Lance. Elbowing at them, he broke free from there grasps and rushed back to his love, watching as the black smoke escaped the vents in the coffin and Lance’s eyes closing. Beating against that glass lid, his futile attempt, his desire to protect his mate grew like never before. His desire blocked all the pain foreseen, his desire blinded him from the dangers around him, his desire numbed his breaking heart…

I can’t lose you…

“Lance!” He screamed. “Lance! No! Please, no- _Lance!_ ”

Pulled back by an unseen force, he was slammed into the wall next to his beloved, a cloaked figure stood above him, holding a sword in his hand. He sliced into Yorak’s chest, laying open a gaping wound. Yorak growled, moaning in pain as the man reached into his chest, pressing his fingers through the blood and flesh and placing a small silver ball into the open cavity.  The pain should have destroyed him, but Yorak didn’t feel anything…not anymore.

His mate was there, just a few feet away, charmed into a deep sleep by the same gas that had brought him here. He looked so peaceful, surrounded with beautiful flowers, juniberry blossoms – Lance’s favourite – and dark red roses. Yorak could hear his heartbeat, the thud, thud, thud was soothing. It lulled him to his death.

He had failed…

 

 

Lance’s dark blue eyes flew open, a light sheen of sweat taking over his caramel skin as he untangled himself from his sheets. He had to get up, he had to get away. He kicked the sheets from his bare legs and stood up suddenly. Looking around, he growled, holding his hands up in fists, ready to fight the men that were around him.

“You’re not getting Keith!”

Wait…

There was nothing there.

Wait... _who was Keith?_

Oh god, it was that dream again. But this time…it had felt so _real._ Knowing that he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep, Lance shrugged the sleep from his body and made his way out of his room and into the darkness of his house. His gaze roved over the empty balcony hallway, the top floor was completely empty. But that wasn’t a surprise to him, it was so early in the morning, everyone was asleep right now. A quick look at the clock in the far corner told him that it was almost sunrise.

Something inside him told him to go outside. His bare feet thudded against the wooden floor as he walked over to the large staircase, his long fingers wrapped lightly around the banister as he made his way to the bottom floor. Go. He needed to go.

Letting out a breath, he dashed to the back door and pulled it open. Stepping out onto the lanai, he smiled at the ocean a few feet away from him. The sand was cool under his bare feet; the salty sweetness of the morning breeze was refreshing. It was such a wondrous sight to watch the sun rise from its sleepy horizon. The darkness clawing at the luminescence, fading as it was taken over by the sun in a wondrous display of soft reds and oranges illuminated the once black skies.

Cooling warmth radiated his skin as he stepped out to the wetter sand by the shore. The nightly breeze had lifted, fluttering his shirt and pyjamas. Only the warmth of the sun remained. Such blessed relief from the protesting night, tearing its way to its sleep. Lance gazed at the cloudless skies, watching the stars winking out and disappearing behind the immense radiance of the sun.

Wait…

He spied something in the skies, something that looked like a shooting star barrelling across the stretch of the morning, coming straight for him. This shouldn’t be possible. The star fell into the sea with a devastating splash, making wave upon wave ripple out at the disturbance. Something deep inside Lance told him he needed to get out there. He needed to find that star. So he took in a deep breath, taking in the sunlight and made his way into the cold, freezing water. He had been swimming in this ocean his whole life; the cold water didn’t bother him anymore. He dunked his head into the water and back out.

The familiar tingling sensation stung like pin pricks against his skin as he swam out and out and out. The waves crashing against his body, pushing him back. He barely registered his thoughts as he got closer and closer to the star. It looked metallic, and it shone in the rising sunlight.

Almost there.

Lungs straining, arms aching, and body tiring, he finally made his way to the star, and saw it wasn’t a star at all. But for some reason, he recognised it. It was cylindrical in shape, with a fogged out and cracked glass taking over the very top half, and white metal scratched and scuffed, there was a massive dent near the bottom, and Lance knew that whatever was inside was definitely damaged along with it.

His heart thudded madly as he floated in the water. He had to get this thing out of there. He knew it was going to be near impossible to try and open the star in the torrential ocean. But he could drag the entire star back to shore, it looked buoyed and light. He tried to find purchase against the metal.

Taking a hold of a piece protruding out of the damaged part of the star, Lance kicked his feet against the harsh waters, making his way back to the shore. He didn’t know just what was happening, but he just _had_ to get this star to safety. With one last harsh kick, he finally reached the shore, tugging and dragging the heavy metal star onto the sand. When it was safely away from the sea lapping at the sand, he fell back onto the heated sand, chest heaving and breath heavy.

“ _Ay dios mio_ ,” He gasped, trying to regulate his breathing. He got up and looked at the metallic star, smirking when he saw just what he had found. “You better be worth it,”

He got onto his knees, and took a look at the star. It was longer than he was tall, and it was deeper than he was wide. In a perfect cylindrical shape. The glass, he had noticed, wasn’t fogged up, but scratched and dented beyond belief. He spotted a few larger scratched against the smaller ones, and they looked to be like nail marks clawed against the glass. Lance tried to open it, pressing his hand to the cold glass, trying to find something, anything, but the cracks and scratches only nicked at his skin. The damaged part at the bottom seemed to have a bit more success. He tugged at the panel, and found that it budged a little. Sitting back on his ass, he took hold of the part that was protruding out, placed his feet on either side of it, and tugged it. Shaking it from side to side, he smirked as it gave way.

_Yes!_

The metal panel came away in his hands, and he smirked. Dropping the metal onto the sand, he got back on his knees and took a look at what was inside. The hole he had created wasn’t too large, but he could easily see a few wires and what looked like a grid like motherboard settled inside. It looked destroyed.

Hmm…he had to think about this.

Looking back to his house, he saw that the lights were still off and it was still very silent. Everyone was still asleep, and for a scant moment Lance was scared. What if whatever was inside was frightening, or scary. He had to find out. His heart thudded in his chest as he reached into the hole he had created. Though he was frightened beyond belief, his heart ached at finding out what was inside. He had to get it out; _he had to get him out!_

He paused. Wait… _him?_

He didn’t understand why, but he knew there was definitely some _one_ in there. Someone he seemed to…know?

“What the hell, Lance,” he sighed, placing his palms against the metal. It was heated from the sun, warm to the touch. “You’re losing your mind,”

He pushed at the metal, moving things this way and that, and grinned when it gave way. He didn’t know what he was doing, but it was like he _knew. Like he had done this before._ Whatever it was, he was glad for it, because there was a thick and wet thudding sound that came from inside and suddenly the glass partitioning at the top of the cylindrical tube hissed as it latched open.

Crawling up to the top of the star, he placed his fingers on the opened part of the glass, shuddering when his fingers almost froze over at the cold air billowing from inside. Curiosity getting the better of him, he yanked at the glass and, with a heave, he forced it to open. After a few moments of tugging, it seemed to give way and slid up almost easily.

In the suddenness, Lance lost his balance and found himself falling face first into whatever was inside. He landed on something firm and cold, the scent was heady against his nose, almost flowery in a weird way. He didn’t know what the scent was, just that it was… _good._ He sighed in bliss, and lifted his head up to see just where the scent was coming from. He gasped when he saw the purple and blue, purple skin, and blue clothes.

There was a body in here.

An alien!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG Christmas is upon us, and yours truly will be working...yay?  
> Sigh...
> 
> Let's just...continue shall we?

_An alien?_

Ay dios mio.

There was an actual, real life alien sitting inside that weird pod like star thing Lance had found, and Lance was over the moon about it. If he were to be honest, he had never really thought extra-terrestrial life forms were an actual _thing._ And he had never thought they’d look the way this alien looked. Though he had hoped and dreamed that he would meet someone from another planet, hell another galaxy if he were lucky enough to get that far, to learn about their ways, their culture, and see just how his own species were different, and how they were the same. It was why he was an upstanding student at the Galaxy Garrison, with the dream and the vision to become an aeronautical pilot.

But to actually have an alien in his own back yard? Yeah, this was what dreams were made of.

He got up on his knees, hands out in front of him to steady himself from his fall. He could still smell the godly yet, oddly iridescent scent of flowers and something so… _other…_ in his nose from when he pretty much did a nose dive into the aliens’ chest, and he could still feel the very cold feel of that firm skin, of that clothed body, against his fingertips.

Looking down, Lance had initially expected the alien to look…well…alien. But it, _he,_ looked almost immediately humanoid. _And really pretty._ Though there was definitely a massive alarm bell around him that just screamed ‘not of this world’ in massive letters. For one, he had purple skin, the kind of purple that Lance would see on sweet and juicy plums, or eggplants – yeah, let’s not go into the eggplant category just yet Lance, focus on his skin first – he looked smooth as well, like shiny in a way. Though his skin was cool, almost freezing to the touch, probably from being stuck in here for however long he had been.

The alien’s mouth was slightly open, lips like a sinfully red pout – and yeah, so the eggplant skin was getting into Lance’s head and turning his thoughts into really bad, sinful and just awful to think about in public intrusions and daydreams. It took Lance a moment to step away from thinking he was one of those sci-fi steamy romance novel protagonists.

What, his sister Allura hoarded them, and having once teased her about it, he had taken her favourite book – the one with the most creases in it – and had the urge to read through it. Turns out he was a lot more interested in the story than he had first thought he would be. The sexy and steamy scenes had gotten more and more intriguing as the stories – yeah, he “borrowed” more novels from his sister – continued, and…maybe Lance now had a bit of a kink in that area. Not that he had ever thought something like _that_ would happen.

Well…not anymore.

Lance spotted two small rings at the corners of his mouth, like little pinkish red dots on either side of his mouth, looking like some odd kind of piercing or something. But it didn’t seem to be any kind of piercing that Lance had ever seen – then again, _alien._

Shrugging his shoulders, Lance continued his investigation of the pretty alien.

The alien’s nose was thin and small, almost _normal_ looking in a way.  In fact, everything about this alien was surprisingly more human than Lance had initially thought it would be. Though his face was a little more angular, chin sharp in a way, he resembled closely to Lance in his features.

His ears however, were…well, they were a cross from a bat and a cat, and they were fluffy and furry and large at the top corners of his head, flopping back in his rest, his eyes were large, though closed, so he couldn’t really tell just what colour they were, but he expected them to be just as alien as the rest of him. He was large too, strong and wide, yet his waist was small and lithe, Lance was sure if he ever had the chance, he could span his entire hand around the majority of that waist. And wasn’t that a pleasant, _yet unneeded,_ thought interrupting his brain right now.

He had a mullet…yeah, there was no denying that. It looked like it _had_ been in a tail or a braid or something, but it was definitely frazzled and resembled a mullet right now. But it looked soft and silky, and Lance had the need to touch it, to touch his ears, hell to touch all of him.

What if he was dead?

He had armour plates on his chest, with a weird pinkish purple insignia, and a blackish red cape wrapped over his body, swirling around his legs. Though his clothes were a deep blue hue, almost black, with ringlets and small patches of colour on his thick and broad chest – which probably meant something – everything was definitely scratched and dented beyond belief. It led Lance to think that this alien had been through a lot before he even got into the pod.

And wasn’t that a sad thought. No one _this_ pretty should have to go through hell.

Lance peered down to see the rest of him, and his gaze rested on the aliens legs hidden behind the thick metal that took over the bottom of the star pod. Oh shit. There was definitely something going on there. The dent that Lance had initially been trying to pry open, the one that had helped him open this alien to the world.

Oh crap. Oxygen! What if by opening this star it had caused the alien to suffocate or something? Maybe the cold air had been his source of air, and Lance had just up and…and…killed him? In shock, Lance leaned down and pressed his ear to the alien’s chest plate, hoping and wishing he could hear through the cold metal.

He waited, holding his own breath, but he was certain his face rose a little alongside the chest. Just a scant bit and it was slow and steady, not rapid like his own breathing. But it was something, and something was better than nothing.

With a sigh, he leaned back onto his knees. At least the alien was safe.

But that dented part of the star. That was really starting to worry Lance. He peered in again, pressing his head back against the alien’s chest. He was sure this alien wasn’t about to get up any time soon. Well, okay so he was hoping. But then again, if this alien had been in such cold conditions, it must take him a while to wake up and get used to Cuban heat. Right?

Okay, yeah. Right. Sure that was what he was going to go with.

Then again, what the hell was he to know about alien biology? That was more of a Hunk thing.

This made him pause. He could tell Hunk; maybe even Pidge could help him. But he wasn’t sure if he could tell anyone else. What if they took the alien and started experimenting on him? What if they cut him open and did autopsies or biopsies or whatever else to him. And it’d all be Lance fault.

No…for now at least, or at least until Lance saw that this alien was not a threat – and even if he was, Lance wasn’t sure if he could just…tame the beast…or whatever other romance novel or movie told him he could do if he just stayed the course and persevered (he blamed his siblings, especially Allura, for forcing him into watching all these stupid romance movies all the time, so much so that they invaded his actual thoughts).

This was real life after all, not some movie or book.

Yeah, okay. So maybe he was just going to have a peek under the star, yeah. That was it. Nothing else, just a quick in and out, and hopefully the pretty alien didn’t just rise up from the dead and slice his chest open with those _maldito_ fangs and claws!

Looking into the darkness lit up by the sun shine streaming in, he saw the dent was indeed much more damaging on the inside than it looked on the outside, and there was definitely a thick piece of something metal digging into the alien’s left leg. Hell, it looked like it had gone straight through.

Oh shit.

This was not good. Now Lance wouldn’t be able to get the alien out of the star as easily as he had wanted to. He’d have to think about this logically. He had to think about this _carefully._ After all, though the alien was unconscious now, Lance wasn’t sure he wanted to see him when he was up and screaming in pain because of an injured – or worse severed – leg.

“Stay right here,” Lance spoke to the alien, though he knew he wouldn’t reply. “I’m just going to…get some help,”

Shit…he was going to have to call on Allura.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat graphic depictions of dismemberment.  
> You have been warned!
> 
> Also, Lotor/Allura-ish, like it definitely is no more here. So if you like that pairing, I am very sorry, but there might be a little bit of Lotor bashing as this story progresses.

He had to find something.

He had to find something _sharp_ , and precise, and small but long enough to get into that small crevice he had jimmied open so he could cut the piece of metal that was digging into the aliens leg. Oh god, his stomach was starting to clench with excitement. There was an _alien_ outside!

Wait…he snuffled at the air around him, noticing the usual sandy and salty moist scent that he was used to. There was a definite flowery scent that was taking over his nose alongside it. Like some kind of weird…flowery scent…okay, so he definitely wasn’t thinking properly. His thoughts were taken over by the fact that there _is an alien outside, Lance!_

An alien he needed to get out, hopefully unharmed.

Oh god, he needed to get Allura in on this as well, didn’t he? She’d know how to look after him, especially if everything went wrong. She was a doctor after all. Well, okay, so maybe she won’t know how to take care of an _alien_ , but he looked so humanoid, even with the whole _purple skin._

Oh god, what the hell was he even saying? The alien _must_ have done something to his brain, that had to be the answer, after all, Lance wasn’t usually so scatter brained. Sure, he wasn’t concise, but it wasn’t ever this bad. Maybe it was that pretty scent that was still on his nose even though he was away from the alien. Maybe it was like pheromones or some kind of air solvent, poison? Something?

 _You've been watching too many movies, Lance._ But then again, there was an alien outside!

He stepped into the house and bee lined for the kitchen. He needed to get a knife or something. His papi didn’t have a saw, but he did have a chainsaw, but that was just too big, and too loud to be helpful, and Lance wasn’t really good at using it anyway. He might cut clean through the metal and the aliens limbs.

Yeah, so that was the chainsaw out.

He could somehow use the knife, or maybe he’d find something else to help him. He knew he was going to have to get Allura’s help. He couldn’t ask Veronica and his other siblings were too young to understand. Veronica was too much of a goodie goodie, she’d probably see the alien and force him to take it to the officials or the police or something. And Lance really didn’t want to do that.

Allura was the only person who seemed like the best bet. After all, she was the one who had all those books about alien's and romance and all that stuff that was _not_ one of Lance’s kinks, thank you very much. She might know something about aliens, maybe?

Knife in hand, he made his way up the stairs and to the bedroom floor. He had to be quiet, having memorised all of the spots where the floor creaked, he stood in front of his eldest sisters’ room. He knocked on the door twice, before knocking one last time. Pressing his face to the wood he heard Allura shuffling around inside, followed by a tired ‘come in’.

With a swift move that surprised even himself, Lance pushed the door open and stepped into the dark room. He saw Allura sitting up on her bed, her hair in a messy bun around her face, and her eyes barely open. They were red, he noticed, and dark in the corners.

Had she…had she been crying?

He made his way to Allura’s side, sitting on the bed next to her. “Everything okay?”

Allura gave him a pointed look. “You woke me up at –” she peered at the clock on her desk. “—four forty three to ask me if everything is okay? _Why are you wet?_ You know mama told you not to go into the water so early in the morning, the shark patrol hasn’t gone through here yet,”

Lance shrugged. He took a second to peer out of her window, knowing the alien was out there. But he needed to be here for his sister right now. Maybe telling her about the alien would move her focus from whatever had happened to her? But he had to find out _what_ happened to her first.

He placed a hand on her own, looking into her eyes and gave her a small smile. “Tell me, and I’ll tell you,”

Allura sighed, tugging the covers over her body. She ran her fingers through her hair, fixing them into a neater bun. “Lotor broke up with me,” she muttered, her gaze darting to her phone sitting on the side table. “Over a text,”

“That asshole,” Lance gasped, reaching for her phone. There were no secrets between him and his sister, Allura was the only one in his entire family who really understood him better than he had ever thought a person could. She was like his twin in a sense, and he loved her so much because of it. He loved all of his family with all of his heart, but Allura had a little bit of a softer spot with him.

He swiped through her phone until he saw the texts she had been talking about. He never really liked Lotor, but Allura seemed to have seen something in him, and hell, he had been happy because she had been happy. But who the fuck breaks up with someone over a text?

“Good riddance,” He stated, placing the phone back onto the table and turning back to her. He reached for her, cradling her face in his hands. He swiped his thumbs under her red rimmed eyes and smiled. “You deserve someone better, someone who loves you for everything you are, someone who treats you like the princess you are. You can do _so much better,”_

Allura smiled, her lips stretching wide. “Thanks Lance,” she leaned away from his hold and wiped away at the fresh tears that tracked down her cheeks. “So tell me, what brings you up here at four in the morning with a –Lance is that mama’s chef knife?”

Lance looked sheepish as he hid the knife to his back; he instead took hold of Allura’s hand and got up, dragging her out of the bed. She followed, stumbling onto her feet, tangled in her sheets. She growled and gasped at Lance’s name, telling him to stop. But Lance was just so excited to show her what he had seen.

“There’s an alien in the lanai!”

Allura halted at they got to her doorway. “What the hell Lance, this better not be one of your pranks,”

“I promise it’s not,” he took hold of her arm, tugging her out of her room and down the stairs. He took one look at the rest of his house, seeing that everyone was still sleeping, thankfully. He didn’t let his sister put on her shoes as he dragged her down the stairs, through the kitchen and out of the house. They both dropped down onto the warm sand and that was when Allura saw the metal star.

“Lance.” She stopped, pointing at the star. “ _Who_ is that?”

Interest piqued, he turned to the metal star and saw the alien sitting up in the chamber, his hands grasping at either side of the glass partitioning and pushing backwards, blood seeping down in thin rivers from the clawed fingers and onto the warm sand. He was grunting and growling and yelling in a language Lance had never heard before, but it sounded almost familiar in a way, like the way all languages sounded like something he may have heard before. The alien’s ears were pinned back, purple skin glistening with sweat from the heat most likely, hair damp and reddened, and his body taut and tight.

He opened his mouth as he pushed back with his hands, sharp fangs glinting menacingly in the sunlight, his other hand reaching down and grasping at something underneath the metal part of the star. There were thick almost black tears streaming down the alien’s cheeks as he spoke in that weird language – that oddly sounded almost Korean in a way, or at least a mixture of it and some kind of guttural Russian or something – he was hissing and yowling like a cat as he grasped at his leg.

And that was when Lance heard the high pitched screeching, followed by the sight of those claws slicked with a thick purplish red. The scent was wicked, but heavy with the flowers, and Lance wanted to go closer to him. It made his heart clench. That sound of his screaming made Lance’s stomach knot achingly tight.

Surely the alien wasn’t going to – before he could think it, the alien raised his sharp claws up into the air and sliced right down into the metal partitioning where his legs were. He cried out in a howl of pain; a sound that made Lance’s stomach turn, but he sucked in a deep breath and raised his claws high up into the air again, slicing it down against the spot again.

“No! Don’t do it!” Lance yelled. He took quick strides towards the alien, dropping down onto his knees. The alien looked up at him, blood tracking down in his tears, mouth warbling words that Lance didn’t understand. The alien held a bloodied claw up to Lance, in a bout to protect himself.

Lance had wished he had gotten there earlier – _oh god, he shouldn’t have left! –_ But it was too late.

There was so much blood, it made Lance’s stomach turn. He didn’t know what he could do, but he knew he had to help the alien, more so now than before. He called to Allura, having noticed her stop in front of the house, hands held to her mouth in a move to still her whimpers at the sight she had just seen. He needed her to get some towels, some gauze, painkillers, something to help him. He spoke softly and calmly to her, knowing that if he yelled, he was probably going to wake up the house, and scare the alien all the more than he already was.

But he needed to get the alien out of here. He needed to get him back into the house. He needed to see just what had happened. He needed to…--his stomach turned when his gaze drifted down to the metal slickened with blood and flesh that splattered almost maniacally in the small partitioning, the leg just laying there.  _Fuck,_ he needed to do something!

Because the alien had just hacked away at his leg!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My poor baby.  
> Why do I make Keith go through all of this pain? Think of all the pampering...  
> Anywhoo, I hope you like it.
> 
> Merry Christmas to all, Happy Holidays!  
> I'll see you on the other side of the festivities!
> 
> Good luck and god speed to those who need it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all had a merry Christmas and happy holidays!  
> I was working over this awful hell that is Christmas (sorry, am a bit of a Grinch this time of year). I hope you got everything you wanted, and everything that you deserved!
> 
> Good luck for the new year, its quickly approaching and honestly, I am more excited that Kingdom Hearts 3 comes out in...t-minus 33 days! Aaaaaah! Mayday, mayday! 
> 
> Can you feel the excitement? It's exuding out of me like a freakin wildfire! 
> 
> Ahem.
> 
> Anyway, so this will have a little bit of body dismemberment, its not too bad, mostly just what is going through Keith's head as he decides what he has to do.  
> It's all light and fluffy like a pancake however. So nothing too debilitating.
> 
> You have been warned my beauties.

It was hot, wherever he was.

Swelteringly so.

And Yorak just knew this was all wrong. He wasn’t supposed to be awake, right? The last thing he remembered was that ugly smile stretching on that quiznaker’s face as he pressed the button that dropped Yorak into the spiralling abyss that was deep space.

Was this hell?

There was a heat inside him, a burning inferno that he knew would only be doused once he saw that quiznaker dead. He was going to do everything he could to avenge his planet and the little girl that _yorva_ had so cruelly sent back.

But…where was he now?

His eyes felt heavy, like they were weighted by lead. He tried forcing them to open, but paused. It was bright on the other side of his eyes. He didn’t want to open them just in case he blinded himself. It looked to be some kind of natural light. Squeezing his eyes closed tighter, just because he could, he tried instead to take in what was around him.

It was hot, so much hotter than he was used to back home – or whatever he could now call home. He could feel the sweat beading on his skin, matting at his fur and making him itchy and uncomfortable – especially after being in such closed conditions for so long. There was a swooshing and crashing sound, like white noise or static all around him. It was rather soothing, listening to the sound, but it was interrupted by a distant screech like cawing, which was loud and grating on his ears. He could also hear a low drone coming from somewhere even further away than the cawing, just a few long and continuous drones before it stopped completely.

So lost in the faraway sounds, he almost jumped when he heard something thud onto the ground, slow rhythmic pounding leading away, the sound was following by a creaking and a crack on something thudding against something.

It was much closer than the other sounds, as if it were right next to him. He had to open his eyes; he had to find out what was happening.

It took him a few seconds to move, but he was slowly getting feeing back into his limbs. It was a slow process, slower than he would have liked. And it didn’t help that the heat was making him feel groggy.

Wait, it wasn’t just the heat that was making him feel like this. There was something that was fuzzy in his mind, like a foggy feeling where he was finding it difficult to think. It had started in the back of his head, but as he slowly came awake, he noticed it making itself known, until it was the only thing he could think of.

He should have stayed asleep.

The pain was a harsh, heavy, throbbing ache. He felt as if a pack of _gleeha’s_ had slammed into his chest and a rabid _gnatta_ was thumping its massive paws on his head.  It was quick to make him cry with the very pain of it. His voice was dry from misuse for however long he had been in this chamber, but he gasped in a wry breath.

He had to get up and investigate. The first thing he had to do was open his eyes, it was better to do it now than to waylay it for later. It took him a few seconds to steel himself, but he opened his eyes. Almost closing them immediately when he was bombarded with bright blue and red, he took in the brightness, his eyes watering with the strain of it. But he didn’t let them close. He needed to get out of here, and he needed to see to do that.

His body felt sluggish, and he wasn’t sure if that was because of the pain or the sleep. The ache was nowhere near manageable now; it pounded into his head and his body like a sickeningly harsh throb, pulsing like a heart beating. He could almost pinpoint exactly where it was coming from as he came to full consciousness.

Something was wrong with his leg.

His left leg to be exact. He needed to get up and see why it was hurting so much. Instinctively he knew what had happened. He knew there was only one real reason for this kind of intense pain.

Forcing his body to move, he knew he had to be quick. Certain that he could hear footsteps coming from somewhere in front of him; he knew that meant he only had a short amount of time to get up. Someone or _something_ was coming, who knew what was here, whether they were friend or foe. He wasn’t sure.

But nothing good ever happened to him. Even when he was back home in the palace, he had to be given a bodyguard just to roam safely in his home. Though Shiro was much more than just a bodyguard, he was like a brother.

Yorak didn’t even know if Shiro was alive, had he even made it out of the planet? Or had he been annihilated alongside it. He should have been in the vessel Yorak had been in, but some quiznaking ass of a dignitary had paid his way into the vessel, leaving Yorak all alone.

If anything, that fuelled Yorak to get out of here. Whoever had found him hadn’t taken him to the authorities or the ruler. Maybe this planet was so advanced that a purple skinned prince of a destroyed planet was better left on this sandy, heated and dirt dune.

Yorak was intrigued; however, he had always wanted to learn about other cultures. To be here, in a culture and civilisation so different than his own, it was exciting.

The pain in his leg brought him crashing back to the present. He hissed, wanting to grab at his leg and shake it away. He didn’t even notice his claws had dug into his injured leg, the pain too excruciating to add onto. His back bowed in pain as he got up. Head woozy and swimming with vertigo, he grabbed tighter onto his leg, and the side of the chamber, not caring that his fingers were soaked with his own blood and groaned.

He didn’t want to look down.

Oh god, his eyes widened, glad he had somewhat gotten used to the bright light surrounding him. Once his eyes cleared from the blaring sun to show him why he was in so much pain, he sucked in the salty and humid air and growled low. It was oddly a sweet scent.

His leg. Oh, praise the angels…his leg. It just lay there. Not moving, even when he tried. Clenching his toes didn’t do anything and stretching his limb only caused him more pain. He forced himself to look again. There was a thin and long piece of the chamber buried straight into the calf of his leg. It was flat and long enough that Yorak could no longer feel his entire leg anymore. It was frozen cold to the touch, and pinching or poking a claw into it did nothing. He didn’t even _bleed._

“The debris must have severed my leg straight through,” he murmured to himself, needing to speak it out loud in order to know that it was true. He could see it, the way it stabbed through his leg, going through nerves, flesh and bone.

It was a small miracle that he had been in cryo-sleep when it had happened.

Tears forming in the corners of his eyes, he forced himself to breathe. Think logically. Patience yields focus.

Breathing through the pain, he knew he wouldn’t be able to get anywhere with a non-responsive leg (he wasn’t ready to say dead, but what else could it be?) he knew what he had to do. He had to get rid of it. He didn’t want to get infected with whatever foreign entity that might be running rampant around him. He was grateful he had his oxygen enhancers. After his father had started focusing on aeronautical and space travel before the virus and the devouring monster had come and destroyed them all. His father had fitted all of the royals and soldiers with oxygen enhancers. Two little ringed balls on either side of their mouths that would pick up all the safe molecules in the air and transfer it to him as breathable air, so he could live without having those clunky breathers.

He was glad for it now, the air here was rich and fresh, and salty, but the enhancers were working, never to die. It was good, because he was hyperventilating.

Okay, he needed to fix this somehow. He reached for his back, knowing his mother knife was always there, but his back tinged with an excruciating pain that levelled him. _Yorva_! He tried his other arm, but it felt like a pack of gormels had say on his chest.

Quiznak, what was he going to do? He couldn’t see any other weapon around him. There _was_ a shard of broken debris of the chamber on the weird coloured dirt next to him, but he couldn’t reach it.

His father had always told him, if something didn’t work, cut off its head. And right now, nothing was working. Taking that advice, he knew what he had to do. Extracting his claws, making them sharper, he growled at his leg.

“I do not want to do this,” he said to his limb, his voice hysterical in his pain. “Shiro is going to be so mad at me. But I can’t see any other way,” Low whimpers escaping his lips, he ground himself for what he was about to do. “Think about how disappointed father would have been if you died here because you were too much of a _veelta_ to do something like this. Galran up, Yorak. Mother will be proud.”

With a screech, he raised his claw high over his head and swiped them down on to the flesh of his leg. It sunk in so easily, almost like a soft butter. The pain was white hot, the intensity making him delirious with the ache. He almost didn’t want to do it again, but he knew he had to.

“Cut off its head,” he yelled.

He didn’t hear the odd looking alien coming towards him, yelling something in a language he did not understand. But he took in the salty and refreshing scent of the alien as he dropped down in front of him, just as Yorak cut straight through his leg.

The pain was hard to take, but his fear of being caught took over. How dare they come to him when he was at his most vulnerable? He wasn’t going to give them the time of day. He held his bloodied claws out to the alien, hoping he looked threatening and not as haggard as he felt.

It seemed too work, because the oddly coloured alien looked scared, his cheeks turning a little green. If Yorak hadn’t been so distraught and in pain, he’d have found this weirdly shaped alien to be pretty. He had oddly shaped ears however, and there wasn’t any fur on him, just on his head and a small scruff on his chin and cheeks. How odd.

“Where am I?” he asked, lowering his tired arms, just a little, but not enough to show his exhaustion. He was pushing back the pain of having severed his leg, thanking that adrenaline was shocking him enough for him to manage the pain. But the draining of his blood on the chamber floor was making him sluggish.

The alien spoke in a calm voice, in that odd language, and it only fuelled Yorak’s notion of this planet being advanced enough that they didn’t think other of an alien in their midst. He wished he could speak to, or understand what this man was saying. He didn’t notice the similar coloured alien standing behind him, going into the tall homely looking building.

He was on high alert now, who was this man, and where had the female gone? Were they going to get the authorities? Were they going to lock him up now? Were they going to kill him?

The man moved then, causing Yorak to grunt at him. But the alien instead stripped off his shirt, folding the soft looking material in his hands. Yorak’s eyes widened. Was the alien propositioning him? Did he want to mate? Was this sandy dune with the oddly coloured water some kind of brothel?

The alien was slow and calming when he spoke, taking the scrunched and folded up shirt and pressing it gently onto Yorak’s severed leg. Yorak grimaced, but didn’t let the alien see his vulnerability.

Was…was this alien only trying to care for him? He looked at the alien’s moving mouth; his words were almost wilting in a way, a little sweet in the air as he spoke. Yorak wasn’t sure if he was enjoying the alien’s language or his deep voice.

The woman appeared again, holding a bundle of cloth in her arms. She made her way to them and hesitated before she dropped down onto her knees next to the male alien. Much like the male alien had done, she had folded up the thicker looking material and handed it to the man. He nodded to her, saying something, and then returned to the shirt he had pressed to Yorak’s leg. Yorak grimaced when he saw just how bloodied the once white material had turned. The alien was much gentler as he took the softer and thicker looking material and wrapped it around his leg. He was speaking to the woman as he did so.

The pain was still so harsh; Yorak hadn’t noticed he was gripping onto the chamber walls until his claws dug into the metal, the nail beds aching in his white knuckled grip. The alien’s hand was hot and heavy, a welcoming touch as he placed it soothingly on Yorak’s hand.

He was speaking again, repeating the same phrase again and again. The pain was too much, the heat was too much. He couldn’t do this anymore.

He fell back into a dead faint.

_“My name is Lance,”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aah...poor Keith.
> 
> This is gonna get good.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments and kudos!  
> We're slowly getting to a little bit more of the story.

Okay, Lance could do this.

He wrapped the alien’s stump for a leg with the towels Allura had given him. He really didn’t want to touch it, not that he was squeamish or disgusted by it – well, okay, maybe he was a little, but it wasn’t because it was an amputated leg. Well, okay so maybe it _was_ because his leg was amputated.

But he was feeling odd because he had never seen a freshly amputated leg before, especially with all the blood and the amputated leg _right there._ It was surprisingly not as bloody as the movies showed – though Lance was more used to watching gaudy b-rated movies, where everything was always over the top and blood gushed out like an obscene fountain. There was definitely a steadily growing pool of blood under the severed leg, and many splatters all over the star, and the alien himself. He had fallen back when he fainted, but Lance had been quick to catch him in his arms. He knew he couldn’t just drag the alien across the sand and up into the house, the salty sand alone would hurt him all the more.

“Help me get him inside,” he said to his sister. He was surprise Allura was acting so shocked. Okay, so sure there was a pretty alien in what looked to be a single man spaceship, who had woken up, hacked his leg right off and then fell back unconscious, but she needed to keep up.

Maybe the adrenaline coursing through his own body was making him feel like this. Maybe it was the flowery scent that was so much stronger now that he was right next to the alien. Allura jolted when he called her name again, and she got right to work. She took a look at the towels and tightened them more professionally around the alien’s leg. She had brought a belt with her as well, and she tied that around the aliens’ thigh, it was a quick makeshift tourniquet.

“We need to keep it elevated,” Allura stated. She helped take the alien out of the metal “star” as Lance continued calling it. She took hold of the alien’s thigh, carefully draping it, and his other leg, over Lance’s outstretched arms. She sighed when she saw the way her brother was looking at the alien, his head tilted to gaze at the alien’s face that was resting on his chest.

They were quick to move back into the house, taking quick and silent steps up the lanai and into the kitchen. It was empty, but they could distinctly hear the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs. Someone was up. Lance froze in the hallway, hearing as the footsteps descended the stairs.

Allura was quick to move and pushed Lance into the storing cupboard along with the alien. It seemed they both agreed that harbouring a purple skinned, _bleeding_ alien was not going to be the best for his mother.

“Papito, what are you doing up?” Lance heard his mother say before the door closed over his face, hiding him away.

He owed Allura a lot right now.

It was hard to stay quiet when he was stuck in such a small and enclosed space with a pretty alien who was bleeding out. Even in the darkness Lance could see his skin was pale – well, it looked paler than before – and he was shivering and shuddering like a leaf, his breaths were short and quick and scant and his skin had a thin sheen of sweat on it.

He was whimpering, weird words and phrases that Lance couldn’t make out, then again, he didn’t really know the language. He just wished he could help, or understand. There had to be something he could do. Maybe Pidge could help. She was usually quite good at things like this.

The alien clung onto him, claws digging into his skin, biting and grazing in a way that wouldn’t leave any real marks. It felt like when a cat pawed at you with their claws out. He left little white lines from where his claws had broken through the skin. It made him bite back a moan – and he wasn’t sure if the moan was one hundred percent only from the pain.

He stood there in silence, listening in as his sister spoke to their mother. He could feel his arms getting wet, seeping with the slick warm and heavy blood. That was surprising, the alien was so light however, almost surprisingly light. He was almost weightless. Lance felt like he was holding onto a small sack of sugar. Huh, that was something, considering this alien looked like he could beat him up pretty easily. And Lance was pretty buff himself.

He smiled at the sweet scent of flowers invading his nose and let out a low sigh, letting the scent overtake him and calm him down from the rush of the morning. This was…well, the scent was very soothing.

The alien in his arms jostled with pain, whimpering out loud, and sharp claws digging into Lance’s skin. Lance bit his lip to hold back the yell ready to escape him and moved the alien so he was quieter, his whimpers were muffled into the curve of Lance’s skin, and he wasn’t sure that was the brightest thing he had ever done.

Then again…alien mouth and digging his sharp teeth and fangs into Lance’s neck, breathe hot and heavy, moistening his skin, or his mother finding him hiding a boy from her. He’d take death by being bitten, thanks.

The gnawing was a little achy at first, but it was slowly getting quite pleasant. So much so that Lance leaned back into the coats, raising the alien’s leg higher on his arms and letting the morning just go. He didn’t know how long he had been standing there for, but it must have been a while before Allura opened the closet door and motioned for him to come out. He stepped out of the small space, and for some reason he was feeling very sleepy, it was strange.

“What is…oh my god,” Allura held a hand to her mouth, her other hand taking Lance’s arm and dragging him through the house and up the stairs. She pushed him into the bedroom and closed the door quietly behind them. She was careful to place Lance, who looked to be in a trance or something. He sat on his bed, the covers a mess from when he had thrown them over him after his nightmare. He spied the mirror opposite him and understood just what Allura looked so worried.

There was so….much….blood.

Thick blackish blood was splattered all on his skin, most likely from when he had tried to stop the alien from severing his leg. It was all over his arms and clothes from having dragged the alien body out of the star, and his entire left side was soaking from holding the bleeding out alien in the closer. He looked like he had been dunked into a pool of blackish red.

How did the alien have so much blood, and how was he still alive after all of that loss?

“You need to take a shower,” Allura said quietly, still in shock at the massacre that had taken place on her brother. “We don’t know what that blood could do to you,”

Lance chucked, sounding almost hysterical, but he paused when he felt the fangs dig in a little deeper in his skin. How odd was it that he had forgotten about that potential threat. Maybe there was something pheromone related with this man. Then again, why wasn’t Allura affected by it?

“He’s not a xenomorph,” he whispered harshly instead. But he understood his sisters worry. He turned around and carefully dislodged the alien’s mouth from his neck, grimacing at the pain and loss of heat and laid the bruised and bloodied man onto his bed.

“We need to give him medicine or something,” Lance murmured, grabbing his sheets and dragging them over the aliens’ body. “And the star, we need to put it somewhere. And we got to figure out what to feed the alien, what is his name, oh god, mama can’t find out, what if the others came in and see him?”

Allura geld onto his shoulders, stopping him from his tirade. “I will look after him. Go take a shower before mama sees you like this,”

“Yeah, okay.” She was right, mama would freak out if she saw him like this. He trusted Allura with the alien. So he nodded, grabbed a few things and headed for the bathroom.

He took one look at the alien lying so sweetly on his bed, his skin was still very pale and his body was still shivering. Allura was the best person for this, she had dealt with things like this before in her line of work. So he was sure she would do her best to make sure he was okay.

Though, he was an alien…

No, she had met and helped Shiro who had lost his entire arm – and most of his memory, as he hadn’t known anything. Allura had told him all sorts of stories about the handsome man she had been taking care of for a few years. Lance had been surprised she hadn’t started dating him, Shiro was so much better than that asshole Lotor, who just came in waxing lyrical at his sister. He had lost hope that Allura would find someone worthy of her with Lotor in the scene, but now that she was finally rid of that douche bag, maybe she would see what was right in front of her.

So no, Lance was not worried. Allura knew exactly what she needed to do, and _he_ needed to take a shower first.

Stepping into the surprisingly empty bathroom, he stripped off his clothes, bundling them up in his hands. He thought better than to put them in the wash with the other clothes like he usually would. Instead, he placed them next to his towel, ready to be picked up and taken away from prying eyes as soon as he was out. Turning on the shower, he grimaced when he saw his reflection. He really did look like a horror film extra, except that this blood was all real. His stomach turned and now he suddenly itched to get the blood off him.

The mirror steamed up and he made for the shower. He shouldn’t waste water anyway. The blood mingled with the water and sluiced down his body, turning an oddly sparkling red as it drained. He was kind of surprised that the alien’s blood was so similar in colour to his own. It held much bigger an impact on him that it would have if it were neon green or neon pink or something.

It made everything a lot more real and frightening too. It made Lance question just what was going on, where did the alien come from, what did he want from earth? Why had he crash landed in a single man pod, were there others like him? Was the planet going to be invaded? Did they have to prepare for an intergalactic war?

Okay, so his shower thoughts were starting freak him out. Change the topic. But to what? The only thing he could think about _was_ the alien. How his soft skin was the same shade as lavenders, how his ears were perched up like a cats, but flat and large like a bats. His shoulders were broad, but his waist was tiny, his legs…well _leg,_ was long and slim, but he seemed proportionate to a human. His eyes, _ay Dios mio_ , when Lance had seen those eyes look at him, he hadn’t been able to look away.

They were a brilliant yellow, and nothing else. But Lance had seen the fear in his eyes, and the pain. And it had made him ache.

The blood took a while to come out but soon his skin was back to its usual caramel brown, and there was an incessant knocking on the bathroom door, followed by a cry of little kids yelling his name. He smirked, getting out and wrapping his towel around his body. He took his clothes and made his way out of the bathroom. He opened the door quickly and growled at his little siblings, chuckling when they screamed and giggled, running away.

Dread suddenly filled him when he saw just how full the house had gotten in the span of a few minutes. Someone would definitely see the alien in his bed.

What was he going to do?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year!!!  
> I hope this year is much better than the last!  
> Good luck on making this year your own!
> 
> FYI  
> Speech in 'italics' is Galranese (Keith/Yorak)  
> Speech as normal is English (Lance and anyone else.)

Yorak wasn’t sure where he was or how he had gotten here.

He remembered the crash, being in a new, weird world, and his leg. Oh, the angels. He scrabbled with his hands, patting down as he felt for his left leg. His body was aching, but not as much as before. And he was sure this was not because of shock. He felt woozy, he felt like someone had drugged him.

Wait…maybe someone _had_ drugged him? He couldn’t really feel the pain of the leg he had severed; it was just a dull and throbbing ache. And he definitely felt heavy and lead like. There was something light and soft over him, however, and it smelled like sweat and something sweet. Soft too…well, it wasn’t as soft as he was used to back at home; he usually slept in nest with an abundance of pillows and comforters. The scent of everything here was nice, almost angelic in a way.

Weird.

Yes, he was definitely drugged.

Opening his eyes, he was met with a kaleidoscope of dark blues and reds that were swirling in front of him, before they cleared out and he was settled into a dimly lit room. He took a moment to look around. The ceiling was speckled in an off white; there was a single light with a clue cover on it. Looking to his left, wincing as he turned his neck, he saw a wide, curtained window, letting in a muted stream of light. Turning his head slowly, he saw the wall directly before him; it held a shelf filled with books and off looking trinkets. There was a desk directly below it with even odder looking things. His ears picked up an odd ticking sound, and his gaze darted to the small cube sitting on a small table to his right. A clock.

However it was a lot slower than he was used to, and the lettering's and that small metal piece moving around was weirding him out. Time moved slower here. Scary weird.

He wanted to explore more, everything here looked so interesting and so other worldly – he had to remind himself that it was this way because he _was_ in another world. But the ache in his leg bought him crashing back to the present.

He had lost his leg.

He knew why, he remembered the pain of it. But he wasn’t prepared for the _loss_ of it. Yorak still felt like it was there, though dead and cold and motionless. The ache and the feeling were still there. But it wasn’t.

What was this phantom like pain?

He had seen, and met in passing, many Galran’s who had lost a limb, but he had never had the chance to talk to them, to listen to what they had to say. Had he been a bit too gung-ho about this? Should he have tried to reconsider his options before severing his own leg?

Should he have tried to save it?

No, something that didn’t work had to be cut out. He had tried to move it, tried to feel some sensation, _any sensation,_ but even when he had hacked away at his leg, he hadn’t felt anything below his knee. It had been completely dead.

It was better he had gotten rid of it straight away, before anything worse happened to him because of it. Right?

Think about this medically, Yorak. There could be viruses and diseases and all sorts of bad things in the very air that he breathed. It was not right to be having an open injury; festering and congealing with blood, left open to the potential illnesses and anything else, this kind of thing could have even resulted in actual death.

It was something that had to be done. He had done the right thing.

Yes.

Right.

Right?

Yes. There was no going back now. He had crippled himself to save himself.

The door creaked open and Yorak was suddenly on high alert. He may not be able to stand and fight, but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. He was met with a familiar head of dark and spiky hair, and striking blue eyes – the same colour as the massive pool of water he had woken up next to. Daibazaal didn’t have anything like that, not a pool of water so vast that it went passed the horizon. All of their water was found underground. To think, this planet had all of this water available to them.

The alien was talking, words that meant absolutely nothing to him. But the way he was speaking, the tone of his voice, the deepness in his eyes and the way he stood. Yorak felt nothing but kindness and worry from him. A little bit of fear was definitely present in his shuddering, but this alien was worried for him, and he was trying to be kind. Yorak watched as he closed the bedroom door behind him, locking it, and stood in the middle of the floor.

“You okay?”

Yorak tilted his head to one side. _“I don’t understand what you are saying,”_

“You look better,” Lance continued, knowing the alien understood him just as much as he understood the alien. “How’s your leg?”

 Yorak looked at him, then to the hand he had extended to him, and then down to his leg – or the space where his leg should have been. Yorak hadn’t looked himself, feeling too cowardly to take in his reality. Why did the alien want to see it? Did he want to see how crippled he was? Was he going to kill him?

His father would.

No, this man had been nothing but kind to him, he, and the woman, had looked after him, helped care for him. So with a deep breath, he tugged the blankets from his leg and gazed at the massacre he had done to himself.

His pants were ripped up to his thighs on his left leg, and there wasn’t any leg from just above his knee. The stump was covered by a thick and coarse material. It was tight enough to put a pleasantly needed pressure on his infliction. But it was off seeing something that wasn’t there anymore. He couldn’t keep his eyes off it.

“Wow,” Yorak looked up when he heard that weird sound. The dark skinned alien made his way closer and sat down in the spot opposite him, so close as he reached for the stump. “Can I touch it – to, uh…to check it’s okay?”

Yorak didn’t understand, but he saw the way the man’s hands were extended out, fidgeting and flexing a little, and nodded. What would those oddly smooth and foreign fingers feel on his own skin?

He watched as the aliens’ hands came closer, god he had no claws, or were they retractable? His hands looked thin and flat, long tapered fingers and dull claws. How did this alien hunt or fight, or do anything? How did he eat? He was all so confusing, but it made him even more interested in this civilisation.

Those fingers came in touch with his for a second time since he came onto this planet, but this touch felt more significant. It was hot to the touch, heavy and almost moist in a way. And Yorak felt something rush through him, a feeling he didn’t think he’d ever feel again.

He felt safe.

“Does it hurt?” The alien was speaking again, and for some reason, Yorak understood what he was trying to say. Not so much in the words themselves, but in the way he was saying it. His tone and touch was so easy to decipher.

He nodded, reaching down to press at the material. It was itching him.

“No, no.” The alien replied quietly, reaching for his hands. “Don’t take that off,”

Yorak didn’t have to understand him to know he was trying to stop him. He narrowed his haze at the alien, growling at being stopped. He just wanted to look at the damage. But once again, the alien stopped him. He held on tighter to Yorak’s hands and pulled them away.

Those hands, again Yorak was lost in how strange they were. They felt soft, yet firm, furless and smooth. He felt like a cub, all soft and sweet smelling. He was an oddly coloured cub that was for sure. Yorak took hold of his hand and held it up and out in front of him.

“Okay, so yeah. That’s my hand.” Lance said, grinning as he watched the alien be enraptured by something as simple as his hand. Though his own hand was different too, much longer and thicker than his own, firm and purple all over, except for the brighter purple pads he had on his fingers. They were like little cat paws. They were surprisingly cute, though the sharp claws coming from the tips of his fingers, the ones he had witnessed go through flesh and bone like it was nothing. They still had blood on them, though he and Allura had taken to cleaning him up as best and as quickly as they could. He suddenly had the urge to clean them.

Looking up, their gazes met and Lance saw those yellow eyes were more gold than anything else. Mesmerising, they seemed to shimmer in their own light.

“Wow,” he couldn’t help but say. The alien looked at him oddly, reaching a free hand up and pressing the pads of his thumbs just under Lance’s eyes.

_“You have so many colours in your eyes,”_ he murmured, knowing this man did not understand him. _“Do all of you Terran’s have eyes like this?”_

“I don’t know what you’re saying,” Lance replied quietly, leaning into those hands. “But I’m liking your voice,”

With the way the alien was looking at him, Lance knew this was going to be difficult. But he was ready to take on the task.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eheheh...a week later than anticipated.  
> Sorry?  
> Let's get this show on the road, shall we?
> 
> Reminder:  
> Italics is Keith speaking in Galran.

Yorak wasn’t sure what the thing on the round plate was.

It looked long, and stringy, and it had a weird _petraka_ like scent to it, it was an odd colour as well, like the colour of the earth on Daibazaal. It was slimy too, wet as it slipped down the four pronged fork, and splattered onto the red and yellow splodged pool of sauce.

_“What the hell is this?”_ Yorak asked, yellow eyes darting up to look at the weird terran who was watching him with rapt interest. He too had a bowl of the strange stuff in his hands, and he was happily slurping and chewing at the stringy substance with a look of euphoria.

“Don’t be shy. Eat up. Mama’s pasta is amazing,” The terran replied, pointing the fork at Yorak’s plate, and then at his own. He placed his fork into his bowl, twining the four pronged fork into the mixture and spun it in his fingers. He lifted the fork and some of the odd food into his fork and placed it in his mouth.

Yorak raised an eyebrow, looking offended. _“Are you seriously telling me, Prince Yorak of Daibazaal, Crown Prince and Saviour of Light to the throne of the Galran Kingdom, how to eat?”_

“You know, I think we got to start learning each other’s names,” The terran spoke again, and it was starting to annoy Yorak that he just could not understand the man. He watched intently as the terran placed the bowl down onto the soft blanketed nest and pointed both hands to himself. “My name is Lance, _Lance,”_

_“What the hell are you doing?”_ Yorak looked down to the terran’s hands, seeing as he pointed it to his chest, fingers prodding his skin, repeating the same thing again and again. He then pointed at Yorak, those long, thin fingers just hovering near Yorak’s own chest.

What in the— _oh!_ Was the terran telling him the name of his kind? Or was that just _his_ name? Was that what they called themselves here on this planet? Were they all _Lance's_? That sound he made, that _Lance_ sound. Was that was the terran’s name? He grinned, at least they could imitate the same sounds to one another, and hopefully Yorak would be able to at least start to understand what the alien was saying to him.

He saw the brown hand in front of him shake a little, as the Lance pointed to him. He found it a little rude; no one should truly point at royalty. But then again, Yorak didn’t have a…planet…so he wasn’t…royalty…any more…

…he didn’t have a family anymore…

…he didn’t have a home anymore.

_No._ He was still Crown Prince, with or without the planet; the Galran’s were a people, not a planet. Wherever the crown prince stood, that was his land. He was Galran, he was on his planet. He was home. That was what his father had told him that was what his mother had told him. Wherever he tread, that was his past, wherever he looked, that was his future. Where he stood, that was his journey, that was what he was now.

For now and forever, he was Crown Prince Yorak.

_“I am Crown Prince Yorak,”_ he said proudly, chest puffed out in pride, long clawed fingers mimicking the Lance and pointing to himself. _“Saviour of the Light to the throne of the Galran Kingdom,”_

“Oh…so like… _all_ of that was your name,” the Lance spoke words again, and Yorak grinned. The alien must understand his importance. “Gotta say, it's gonna take me a while to learn all that, but I think I heard a ‘Keith’ in there. So…like, can I just call you _Keith_ until I learn it all?”

Keith? What the hell was a Keith? He was not a Keith. Or was that just what these Lance’s called other worlders? _Huh,_ by the angel’s, this planet was strange. He knew he was in for a long task after seeing such a lovely looking terran before him, this land dweller who lived next to the vast pool of water.

The Lance grinned, lifting the bowl in his hands again and twining his fork into the strands of dirt coloured food. He pointed the edge of the fork to Yorak, saying the word; “Keith,” once again, and then pointed it to himself. “Lance.”

_“You’re a dumbass,”_ Yorak shook his head, but he let the terran have his way. At least this way, Yorak knew what to call him, and he’d know what word to look out for. Lance and Keith. Two alien words to him. But he kind of liked it.

“Go on, eat,” the Lance said again, and with the way he was moving his bowl and looking at Yorak’s own plate, Yorak started to understand that the words he was saying probably meant for him to eat the food.

He looked down at it again and grimaced inwardly. But he had been brought up better than this, he was a Crown Prince after all, he was going to do his utmost best to be dignified and full of all of the etiquette his lineage had put upon his shoulders. So he gracefully dipped his fork into the stringy substance, sucking in a breath as he lifted it up from his plate. The stringy food seemed to slip off his fork and fell splat back onto the red pool of sauce on the plate.

He felt insulted by it. How dare it not stay on the fork!

Warm hands wrapped around his own, and Yorak jolted at the touch. The Lance’s skin was so smooth and warm against his own, it was a frightening difference to what Yorak was used to, something sparked and Yorak felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise a little. What was this Lance doing? Was he trying to start a fight?

“Lance,” he growled, showing his sharp fangs. But the terran wasn’t paying attention to him, he motioned for Yorak to copy his hands, enveloping his slightly smaller hands around Yorak’s own and manipulating his fingers to move. He was speaking as he moved Yorak’s fingers, saying strange sounds like ‘this’ and ‘spin’ and ‘fork’, and Yorak watched as he twirled the fork in his palm and the stringy substance stuck to the fork, entwined similarly to the way their fingers were, brushing against one another in a warm heat.

Lance’s were warmer than Galran’s…

The Lance held the fork up from the plate, and somehow the food stuck to the fork, twined with the prongs in a weird mishmash of figure eights and circles. The Lance urged the fork to Yorak’s mouth, urging him to eat. Wanting to appease the terran, purely to see those water pool blue eyes light up as they had before, Yorak leaned his head forward, opening his mouth and letting the terran feed him.

The oddly stringy substance was chewy, and tasted pleasant. The spices and the texture was odd to Yorak, for being someone who was used to hard foods and meats, this food was soft, like something one fed an infant cub coming into their fangs.

The flavour burst on his tongue, it was a bit blander than Yorak would like it, but it was definitely not something he would ever consider not good. It tasted delicious, in an odd way. And he was glad he had tried it at least. His stomach took that time then to remind Yorak just how hungry he really was, it yowled in protest and Yorak soon found the odd tasting food to be the only thing he needed right at that moment. He followed what the Lance had showed him and twined his fork and ate the food as quickly – yet as dignified as possible, because he wasn’t a quiznaking  _gelermore_.

The Lance looked happy, he had a smile on his face, showing his blunt teeth, and his water pool blue eyes were bright, shimmering like the stars in the skies. Yorak was having a bit of a problem with his heart, it was beating a little faster than usual he noticed. And he wasn’t really sure why.

There was a knock on the door, and the happy look on the Lance’s face suddenly fell. He took hold of the half empty plates and placed them onto the table. Pushing Yorak back onto the bed, he was quick to cover him with the soft blanket, covering him from head to tail.

_“What are you—”_ Yorak started, but the Lance just leaned into him, holding a hand to his lips in the sign for him to be silent. He pointed a thumb at the door, and covered Yorak up a little more gracefully this time.

“If my mum sees you here, she’s going to have a heart attack,” he stated. “Please Keith, just for a little while.”

There was that word again. He was calling him _Keith._ He was calling the crown prince _Keith_.

_“Dumbass,”_ Yorak shook his head but hid himself under the blankets and pillows, knowing this was by far the dumbest thing he had ever done. He was a large and body shaped Galran hiding underneath a flimsy blanket that was a little scratchy in places.

But it smelled nice, and in the soft darkness, Yorak was finding this a little pleasant. He was still very shocked, about losing his planet, about being thrown into space, crash landing on an unknown planet and losing his leg. But he was somehow being soothed by this warm, weirdly sweet smelling scent around him.

He heard the door open, and he knew this was where everything was going to go all the way down to the bottom of a _plesiam_ dung heap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...Kingdom Hearts 3 is coming out in a few days...who else is as excited as I am?


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all!  
> So I'm still getting over an absolutely nasty fever that had absolutely floored me, but I am back with a vengeance an hell bent on finishing all of the fics that are still not finished.  
> So expect updates as they come and go.

How do you hide a large purple alien with one leg, bat like cat ears, sharp claws and fangs and with a voice that was lilting and growly, who didn’t understand a lick of your own language?

Apparently throwing the covers over his body and hoping no one noticed the lumpy misshapen – but definitely _body shaped_ – bulge on the bed worked.

Well, kind of.

Television made this kind of thing easy, but then again all of the aliens in those sci-fi shows he watched were small and cute and could literally pass off as something earth like. Sure the alien looked almost human, and maybe some people could look passed the fangs and the eyes, and the ears and the height – cosplay was a big thing nowadays, there were all sorts of people dressed up as all sorts of things here and there – but the purple skin and the otherworld language, not understanding anything…?

That was going to be difficult.

He _could_ pass the alien’s language off as some sort of trans-Atlantic meets Middle Eastern and Asian mishmash of words. But then again, who would believe him? Who would see the purple skin, the way the alien held himself, and think ‘human’?

Oh god, this was way too hard.

Thankfully, Allura had been the one to come through the door, calling back to her mother and telling her that she was going to wake up Lance that morning. Lance once again had to thank her for her helping him out.

Though, he was really worried, because _dios_ it had been easy to get some left over breakfast of last nights’ dinner when everyone was asleep, but how was he going to explain having to eat in his own room this entire time? How long even _was_ this time?

He was going to have to figure this out somehow.

But right now, he needed to figure out what to do about the alien in his bed. Allura was quick to move Lance out of the way, and that was when Lance noticed she had a few things in her hands – medical looking things, and he really should focus his attention on this kind of thing. Who knew what could happen at any moment?

Then again, _alien._ Who knew _what_ worked on him.

Allura cooed softly when she pulled the covers from the alien. Lance noticed Keith had his eyes closed, body taut and hands held up in fists to his chest. It was as if he were a small child trying to hide in the most obvious place ever, just by hiding his eyes from his captives.

God damn it, that shit was adorable.

Keith opened his golden yellow eyes, and Lance could instinctively tell he had sought out for him, before he noticed Allura. When he did, he bared his fangs at her and quickly sat up on the bed. He looked sluggish, and a little paler than he had before. Lance had thought maybe the food would have helped, but it didn’t seem to have done the job probably.

“He needs meat, probably.” Allura muttered out loud. She got to work checking Keith’s bandages, tsking and slapping away the alien’s hands when he reached for it.

“Lance! _What the quiznack do you think you are doing, woman. You are not to take the bandages off,_ ” Keith glowered, pushing her hands from his bandages, and Lance grinned. He had told Keith not to touch them; it was good to know that Keith was at least able to interpret what was happening around him and remember it enough to use it again.

“Allura,” she said, not paying him any attention. It was weird seeing her like this, she looked way too calm with the way she was working on him. She had a weird squeezie bottle in her hands, like those science experiment distiller bottles with the thin and long nozzles. It had a weird swirly liquid inside it, looking like silver paint mixing with something a little musky and dusty looking. Starlight: that was what it looked like.

“ _Where the hell did you get this?”_ The alien noticed to, he reached for the bottle and took it out of Allura’s hand, she handed him the bottle, letting him inspect it, and watched as he took a sniff at the bottle and then handed it back to her. “ _You’re hiding something from me, terran Allura, and I will find out what,”_

Allura looked at him, gazing directly into his steely gold eyes, her face as stoic and solemn as his own was, as if she too were promising him that she would find out everything she could about him. Seconds passed, in which Lance watched on, confused and perturbed, before Allura’s face broke out into a sunny smile.

She took the bottle in her hands and returned back to the bandages around Keith’s amputated leg. The alien watched on, still a little pale in his skin and pallor, as she slowly unravelled the bandages, taking her time to not exacerbate his injuries both external and mentally internal. He really was intrigued to see just what the damage was to his leg, and she wanted him to see, she wanted him to know that though he was like this, they were going to do what they could to fix him, that they were going to make sure he was _not_ an invalid or a liability.

She had worked with a lot of people who felt like that when they lost their limbs, so in a way she knew what to expect. However this alien, this _prince_ with the way he was dressed, he was definitely something royal or high up in his own home planet, was something else entirely. He looked strong, fast and had rough calloused hands and feet. He looked like he actually fought and bit and drew blood to get what he wanted – which was a lot different to the important dignitaries and people here, who had everything handed to them.

“What is that? What are you doing?” She was brought back to the present by Lance who had taken to sitting opposite her, reaching to place a hand on Keith’s uninjured leg. It was almost sweet, yet worrying, just how receptive Lance was being to the alien. She could see there was some kind of connection there, whether it was simple a duckling imprint or something more, she wasn’t sure.

“Don’t worry, it’s just for congealment,” Allura stated, tugging lightly at the brace bandage she had wrapped around the alien’s knee, rolling the dampened cloth off completely until there was nothing but the amputated leg. She needed to clean this and rewrap it with clean bandages. “It’ll act as an antiseptic that’ll clean away any of those nasty infections and close his wound,”

Lance’s grip tightened on the alien’s thigh, and he leaned in close, watching intently – similarly, he noticed, as what the alien was doing. It was a small miracle that the alien was still in somewhat of a shock to feel too much of the pain. Either that or the pain really wasn’t getting to him. And wasn’t that a scary thought.

He wouldn’t even _wince_ at an amputated leg, just what the hell had he been through?

“Where did you _get_ that?” Lance asked instead, focusing on Allura spraying the silver star light looking liquid onto the sickening sight of the amputated leg. He had to hold his stomach at the sight, but he was glad it didn’t look as bad as it had when he had lifted the alien from the star and into his arms.

“I had someone help me out,” Allura replied offhandedly.

Lance narrowed his gaze, but nodded. They’d get to that later. He watched as Allura cleaned the wound, smiling as it seemed to slowly knit back before their very eyes – albeit slowly. He took over and helped when Allura had asked him to rewrap the bandages around the leg while she disposed of the waste. It wouldn’t be well for their mother to see his bin filled with blackened blood soaked bandages. Though it did look like he spilled wine or grape soda, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to explain drinking in his room.

“I hope this isn’t too tight,” Lance murmured, holding the leg to his lap, wrapping it slowly and methodically, while he waited for Allura to return. Once he was done, he looked at his handy work and smiled. Gazing up, he smiled at the alien, but his breath caught in his throat when he saw tears forming in the corners of the alien’s golden eyes.

Tears that looked like star light.


	10. Chapter 10

Cut off the head.

He knew it had been the right idea, get rid of the infliction before it infected him. It was soldier logic, it made sense. But he hadn’t expected the outright loss he felt when he was finally able to sit down and think about what he had just done.

One leg. He was going to have to live in this frightening and alien world for however long with only one leg and nothing else to show for it. He didn’t know the language, he didn’t know the culture, and he damn well didn’t know anything about the people. These terrans were something else, so different to the foreigners and aliens he had known on his own planet.

Oh by the angels, his own planet. There wasn’t a planet anymore was there? No sunny sand dunes where he’d spent hours laying on, watching the beautiful twin suns rise into the purpling skies. No longer would he be able to see the dusty fairies that flittered in the air, settling on his nose and making him sniffle and sneeze as they played. He’s no longer taste the sweet berries and the heated trelemore meat, or feel the succulent red of the earth under his feet.

He’d no longer hear his mother sweet songs as she hummed him to sleep on those cold lifeless nights, or hear his fathers’ harsh cries as they trained and fought in the spar rooms at the castle. He’d no longer be able to wake up early in the morning and run to the kitchens, meeting Anabella who’d always, _always,_ have a sweet _moro_ for him to snack on before his duties.

He’d never hear anyone else speak the same language as him.

He was the last of his kind. The last of his people. There was no one else who was Galran like he was, and if there were, they were most likely long gone by now, or in a completely different planet eons away from where he was. He was stuck here for angels only knew how long, all by himself.

Tears were a new thing for him, his father had always told him tears from a prince were to be kept inside, and his mother had always told him to only cry in front of his other half. But right now, he had neither mother or father, so he let himself cry.

He cried loud, gasping breathy cries, letting the loss of his home, the loss of his family, the loss of his limbs, overtake him. He cried until he couldn’t breathe, until the ache in his chest far outweighed the pain in his leg. He cried as he felt warm arms wrap around him, as the scent of salty ocean filled his nose, as soft hands stroked through his hair the same way his mothers’ claws would. Laying his head on the firm and warm chest, listening to the abnormal heart beating in his long ears, he cried until there was nothing else left in him to cry about.

The Lance was speaking, soothing soft words and coos that soothed his soul somewhat. He wasn’t sure what the terran was saying, but he was glad the terran was there.

“It’s alright, just let it all out, I’m right here,” the terran spoke, words that seemed to make sense to Yorak, though he wasn’t sure just what they were. “I’m right here.”

He felt the slick and sweet sound of the terran singing, a soft lullaby escaping those lips and moving into him in a way that made him want to lean more onto the terran, want to peek his ears up and hear more of the sound.

His gasping turned to hiccups and he let out a few tiny breaths, trying to catch what wasn’t there. He tried to think, he tried to feel, but all he could feel was the dull ache of it all. It felt like a haze had fallen over him.

The song was soothing.

The terran moved then, holding onto Yorak with strong arms. “You feeling better now, Keith?”

Keith…there he was, calling Yorak _Keith_ again.

The terran really was a dumbass, how could he make that sound his name, when his name was Yorak, when he was the crown prince. Hell, he was royalty, this terran should bow down to his feet and worship him for the very armour he had on right now.

Then again, _was_ he still a prince?

Yes, he was still a prince. He wasn’t going to let go of every little thing that made him who and what he was. He was Galran, he was the crown prince, he was the last piece of his mother and father. He was proud to be what he was.

But maybe…maybe while he was here, while he was still trying to figure everything out. Maybe he could try to don this ‘Keith’ persona. Maybe it would help him in the long run. Yorak wasn’t going to let go of his past, he wasn’t going to let go of his hopes, and dreams and everything that made him just who he was. But here, in this terran’s planet. Here he was _Keith_.

Maybe just for this Lance, he was Keith.

“ _I am hungry, Lance.”_ He said, feeling the pangs in his stomach. The slimy food had been good before it had been taken away by the terran. He pointed to the bowl on the table and wiped away at his tears.

The terran jumped back, nodding and reached for the bowl. He handed it to Keith and watched as Keith started eating. Keith sniffled, his chest aching, and forced himself to eat, forced himself to live. He was going to get through this. He was going to stay strong.

The weird food tasted different when it was cool, but it was by no means bad. In fact it had a weirder, duller taste than it had before. Keith still wanted some kind of meat, but this would do for now.

The Allura terran came through the door once again, she held something in her hands, a leaf of metal and plastic with small circular objects that looks suspiciously like the drugs Galran soldiers gave to the invaders of their lands. She held them up to Keith and he glared at her.

_“I will not be interrogated like some kind of rayabash,”_ He growled, baring his fangs at the terran.

“I don’t think he understands what that is,” Lance spoke, looking back at Allura and then to Keith. He instead took the pills from Allura and held them in his hands. “These are pain killers, Keith. They are good,”

He said those words with a smile and it made Keith glower, eyes narrow as he looked at the pills. They did not have the same swirling black patterns that the drugs back home did. The ones the witches and druids would infuse with their tainted black magic in order to made the invaders choke, or be controlled.

They looked…harmless.

“Look, I’ll take one and you’ll see it’s okay,” The Lance spoke again, popping the pills from the leaf and placing it in his mouth. He showed Keith that it was laying on his tongue, and reached for the bottle of water on the nightstand. He drank the water, swallowing the pill alongside it, and smiled, opening his mouth to show Keith that he had eaten it.

Keith waited, taking a moment to look at Lance. He saw the terran looked exactly the same, he smelled the same too. He didn’t look drugged or whatever else. These pills looked harmless. Though would they have the same effect on him as they did on the terran.

Not wanting to show any more weakness to the terran – he had cried on him after all – he took the leaf, feeling the malleable plastic in his fingers, and sniffed at it. It smelled clinical, and strong of a weird metallic scent. Popping the pills out the same was Lance had done, he took one out and held it in between his forefinger and thumb.

Hmmm…it was all white, a little odd looking. He licked at it and grimaced at the taste. But if the terran could swallow this, than so could he. Falling into the peer pressure, he put the pill into his mouth and grabbed the bottle of clear liquid from the terran. Drinking the tasteless liquid he swallowed the pills.

And waited.

Nothing happened, not at first anyway. But he was slow to notice the dull humming feeling thrum through him. It overtook his body, spreading out like a warm bellowing heat, starting at his throat and forcing itself into his fingers and toes, reaching his severed leg.

He grimaced.

But then, the ache was gone.

_“Magic,”_ He said out loud, reaching for the plastic leaf and popping another of the while drugs out. He was about to pop it into his mouth, but the Lance took it from him.

“One dose is enough for now,” he said with a bright smile, giving Allura the leaf of pills. “You’ll feel better now,”

He placed a hand on Keith’s severed leg, just at the thigh, patting it. It soothed Keith a little to see that this terran was not sickened by his lack of leg. But the loss of his leg, he was going to have to get used to this kind of thing now.

Could he even walk?

That was going to be a heavy and hard task to do. But he felt, with this terran, he could do better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't go popping pills unnecessarily kids.


	11. Chapter 11

Where am I?

Shiro let out an inward groan. His body felt so heavy, and so cold. Darkness was slowly creeping away from his mind as consciousness started to claw its way in. It made his head ache, pounding along with the blood that was slowly starting to circulate once again.

His sight was slowly returning but the sudden bright white behind his closed eyes almost blinded him. He wanted to lift his hand to cover the light from his face, but he found he couldn’t move.

Panic and fear surfaced. He wasn’t tied down, but it felt as if every cell in his body was heavy, slowly waking up from a long slumber. After a defiant amount of strength wasted on trying to move, he learned he could flex the muscles of his toes, and his fingers…wait.

He could flex the fingers of his left hand, but not of his right. Peculiar and odd. But at least he knew his thoughts were not compromised. But he was finding it difficult to open his eyes; however he blamed that on the god awful bright light shining on him.

Where was he?

His mind fully alert, he tried to make sense of what was going on around him. He could hear the silent humming of machinery around him, it sounded like a ships engine, with its incessant beeping. But he wasn’t moving.

As his ears grew accustomed to the sound, he heard voices from all around, and all over him. He tried to decipher and differentiate the sounds, but it was almost impossible to do so. But he still focused.

His king had given him the ability to understand all sorts of languages, even those from light years away. He was a little rusty, his mind still dwelling in whatever darkness it had been in for Angel’s only knew how long, it took a little focus for him to fully accept the sound of the overzealous people around him.

“What do you think he is?” he heard a male voice say, he sounded very close. “You said he fell from the sky?”

Fell from the sky?

He didn’t think he would be able to speak, let along do anything else; he was still finding it difficult to move after all. He didn’t know how long he had been asleep for.

But patience yields focus. So he would play the waiting game.

He just prayed his Prince got out in time and was safe, wherever he was.

Barely a few moments passed and he heard a door slide open at the far end of the room, followed by a clacking of shoes against tiled floors. The sound was coming closer to the bed. He was suddenly engulfed with the familiar scent of juniberries and something uniquely sweet. It reminded him of home, and that made his heart ache.

He had seen what had happened to Daibazaal Prime. He knew it was no longer there. But he was going to do his best to find his prince. He had promised the Queen he would take care of him, and he wasn’t going to stop until he found him.

He just hoped his prince was in a planet somewhere close. Because he knew he was no longer anywhere near the local planets the Galran’s had fled to. The language these aliens spoke was definitely Earthian. And earth was more than a good million light years away from his home planet.

How had he gotten so far away from home?

“Has he woken?” her voice was sensuous, with a slight twang he hadn’t heard before. It was different to the way the man spoke.

“I’m getting a weird feeling from this guy,” The first man spoke, voice hesitant. “Look at the charts, they are showing some strange readings,”

He heard the sounds of paper being moved around. Shiro moaned in frustration. Why couldn’t he move? Where was he? What had happened to him? Was he infected by the virus that had taken captive of the planet? Is that why they were holding him here, holding him captive?

Did they want to experiment on him?

He remembered the stories his mother told him when he had been young, the ancient, tragic love story between mated pairs, _Chiikoi_. How they had been forced apart by aliens that came from the skies, aliens that had said they had wanted to learn more about them by holding them prisoner. Chiikoi’s were the most powerful. Their powers were trifold, their woken and dormant skills at their highest and shared between both partners.

The stories were horrible. After the first failure, aliens came down again and again, capturing lovers and taking them hostage, experimenting on their minds, cutting them open just for science.

But the aliens were never able to get anything from them. They were stupid. They had separated the two lovers while they experimented on them. But it was fruitless.

Together Chiikoi’s were a force not to be reckoned with, divided they close themselves off to everything else except one another. They would hunger for one another with each passing moment, wanting to touch, to see, to taste. They would kill to get to their mate, or die trying.

That was one of the reasons his kind didn’t go off-world. If others found out about them, about their powers, it would cause so many problems. Being able to cultivate or dissect their powers could cause so many wars.

Shiro was glad he hadn’t mated with anyone while back on the planet, not for lack of trying. No one suited his tastes. But if he had, he would have surely died of the need and thirst alone in that chamber for however long he had been out.

As soon as everything died down, he would get out of this place and go back home. Except right now he couldn’t really move. His stomach ached at the thought of food. With his body and mind back to its usual, though still somewhat drowsy, state, he found himself so very hungry.

“This can’t be right, can it?” The female’s voice was exquisite to listen to, Shiro noted. Even though she reminded him of his planet, Shiro wanted to listen to her talk.

But there was still the niggling thought. They really were holding him captive here, weren’t they? They really did want to experiment him. What if they wanted to dissect him?

He heard the metal utensil clatter against the table when the male leaned back. “Holy crap, he moved!”

Shiro didn’t have time to wonder, he needed to focus. If they really were here to kill him, then he needed to get out of here as quick as possible. But first, he needed information. He could feel the woman move closer to him, to the edge of the bed, the scent of juniberries was so strong, so captivating.

He felt a soft hand on his forehead.

He was confused. Why was this alien being so nice to him? Was she not holding him prisoner here? Did she not know that he could just as easily kill her with his bare hands? If she was to try and get information out of him, then she would receive nothing.

Sure, he knew Earth was a primitive planet; they had no idea about the many words that were out there. So they must now know about Daibazaal and the Galran’s. Right?

Unless, they didn’t know Shiro was an alien. He had been given the tech to camouflage his Galran traits. His king had made it so it was easy for him to blend into other planets if and when that time came. That had to be it. That was why they weren’t holding him in a much more isolated captivity, why there were so many people around him.

They didn’t know.

This woman, however, an interesting alien. No physical power, no mental power either. Compared to Shiro, she was a weak alien. Yet she was merited as important to those with her. He had felt the shift in the room when she had entered. She was the head here, the captain. There were so many people here, so many different types of species that was most definitely more powerful, more intellectual than her. This alien must have something in her to warrant others to follow, to submit to her command.

“Are you going to kill me?” She asked.

It caused Shiro to pause. He knew she was talking to him, and that meant she knew he was awake enough to hear him.

His voice was strained when he answered, his eyes opening a little to see blurry images of the white room around him. “If I don’t have to kill you, I will not harm you,”

“My name is Dr. Allura McClain,” She introduced, from her voice alone, Shiro could see she had no ill will towards him. She was one of the good guys. “You crash landed in the mountains, and I brought you here,”

Shiro wanted desperately to move, to show his own intentions to this woman. He breathed in deeply, hoping it would quell his head ache. “I will not harm you, or your crew.”

He felt the relief erupt in the room, but he could tell a few were still on edge.

And it came to light for him. No matter how trusting this doctor Allura was, or of how much she reminded him of his planet. He would have to be careful. He was on their turf now. So he would follow their rules, only until he knew he was safe enough to leave.

Patience yields focus after all.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just FYI, the last chapter was Shiro when he crash landed on earth two years back. Sorry for the confusion!
> 
> Now, Shiro does know a lot more about Earth culture, language etc. because of his rank at Daibazaal, and being Keith's protector. But he also knows things about Keith's culture that Keith had been too young to know about (i.e. chiikoi/soulmates etc).
> 
> Prepare for a 'birds and bees' talk in upcoming chapters. -- now won't that be fun.

Lance let out a loud sigh and leaned back on his chair, aggravated that his focus was not solely on his summer homework. It had been mere hours since he had hauled Keith in from the sea, and taken care of him.

But now, Keith was sleeping so soundly, so softly, in his bed. The medicine having reacted a little differently with the alien than a human, as soon as Keith had taken the pain relief pills, he had gotten an almost high look on his face, and had smiled, showing his fangs. He had looked woozy, and after a few minutes, the plate in his hands started to waver – enough for Lance having to take over to feed him - and soon he had fallen back onto the soft pillows and had fallen straight to sleep. Looking back now, the corner of his mouth tilted in a smile when he saw the adorable sight. The covers were over Keith’s body, tucked in at the corners to keep him warm and safe.

Lance could hear him breathing, a little grumble of a snore, like a cat purring, every once in a while. It was cute. But it was also really distracting.

He was curious.

He forced his mind onto his homework; sure he had a few weeks until classes started again. But if he didn’t do this now –when he had the time, because he was sure his full attention was going to go onto the _alien in his bed –_ he sought it the best distraction for him to pass the time. No such thing.

So, yes...curiosity was eating at him.

By now, everyone in the house had gone about their day. Lance had come down and done his usual daily thing, ate with his family, played with his brothers and sisters, and then, when everyone was none the wiser, he had slipped back upstairs with the stupid notion of “need to do my homework, mami, I’ll be down in a few hours,”

He couldn’t keep saying something like that forever. He was going to run out of excuses very soon. Lance was a family oriented person. People were going to start finding it weird if he preferred staying alone in his room. He had to figure out what to do about the alien.

Lance let out a long breath of frustration when he heard the sound of the television downstairs, followed by his family talking and laughing and having a relatively normal family time day. The sound trickled through into his room and made his heart clench. He was lying to all of them right now, and the guilt was eating at him. But he didn't know what else to do. Any one of them could just as easily tell him to take the alien to the Garrison, convince him that Keith was dangerous, different, and that Lance was a bad child for putting the family in such danger.

From what he could decipher, they were starting to find his need to stay in his room for hours was weird. He was going to get caught, he knew it. Maybe he should go downstairs and just show them his face? That way they wouldn’t think anything different of him. The alien was sleeping anyway, and who knew for how long the medicine would take effect on him and keep him like this.

But…for some reason, he felt like he couldn’t leave yet.

There was a knock on his door, and his heart suddenly jumped a thousand beats. Shit, he knew he should have gone downstairs earlier. He rushed over to the door and leaned against the frame, pulling it open before the person on the other side did. He let out a breath when he saw it was just Allura. She had a bowl of some kind of paste in her hands and she handed it to him.  

“His bandages need changing,” she said in a hushed voice, pushing Lance into his room and following him inside. She gasped when she saw Keith sleeping. “ _Dios_ , he really does look human doesn't he, but those fangs are no joke,”

Lance nodded, leaning back against his closed door and looking over to the alien. “It’s almost creepy, but I feel like he’s crawling around inside my head,”

“I felt the same way,” Allura replied, settling the bowl down on his side table and slowly moving the covers from Keith’s amputated leg. She worked methodically, unraveling his bandages and applying the cream to his healing wound. “I felt like he was trying to talk to me,”

So she felt it too. He didn't really want to tell her that he had been having all sorts of thoughts the longer he stayed with her. Thoughts that hurtled from the dream he had had that morning, all the way to not so innocent thoughts about the alien and the bed he slept in. Lance instead watched her work, taking everything in so he could do it himself if he ever needed to. Allura was a saint, and she was also trying to keep the rest of the McClain’s out of his room while the alien healed. She was so wonderful to him right now.

“’lura, I don’t know what to do,” he sighed, slumping back onto the door. He paused, taking in a brave breath and made his way over to her. His fingers clenched at the back of his seat nervously. God, just _ask_ her.

Allura seemed to have noticed his inner battle and turned to him with a smile. “Did you want something else?”

Taking in another brave breath, he turned to his sister. “Have you – I mean, are you…?” He let out a sigh, wondering why it was so difficult to ask her one simple thing. _Will he be okay without a leg?_

She worked with amputees, hell Shiro had been there for the past two years, and he was doing so well. Even with the loss of memories and all that stuff. She had looked after him from the beginning, and had taken care of him. Damn it. Why couldn’t he just ask? Why was he so worried about the outcome? What was it about this alien that made him want to swaddle him in his blankets and soothe him with words about how everything was going to be alright. He was acting crazy over it.

He let out a breath, his confidence deflating. “It’s nothing…”

Allura looked up at him. She knew just what he was like, especially his curious nature with new and exciting things. And she knew he had a big heart. She had felt this same strength, this same pull when she had first found Shiro in the mountains all those years ago. It had been electric, magnetic, as if everything around her was telling her to go to him, to take care of him, to be beside him. She felt a similar kind of pull with this alien, and it had caused her pause.

She had recognised his words – well not to the extent of knowing what he was saying – but she had distinctively heard that same dialect come from Shiro all the time when he thought she wasn’t looking. In the beginning he had constantly woken up in the middle of her night shift, calling out to someone in the darkness, the words sounding like ‘Yorak’ and something similar to how Keith spoke.

Seeing Keith in the star, seeing him speaking the same dialect…she hadn’t been sure what to do. But she knew that Lance was feeling the same pull for Keith as she felt for Shiro. But what that meant, Shiro hadn’t told her – and he probably never would.

Was Shiro _also_ an alien?

Lance was looking at her, acting like a nervous school boy. He was trying to be nonchalant, aloof. It was silly, but she didn’t dare laugh. Instead, she smiled, getting straight to the point. “I have dealt with people like him before, it’s going to take some work, but he’s going to be okay.”

“You think so?” He asked quickly. His eyes widened as he leaned onto the back of his chair, trying to act cool again.

She tapped her finger on the now empty bowl and nodded. “I _know_ he will be, because he has you to take care of him,”

Allura could feel the excitement and curiosity leap out from Lance, he had looked, so relieved. And for that, she was happy. This was still a very strange and very dangerous outcome, but at least this way she knew Lance would do his best to look after the alien.

Keith really needed all the help he could get.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning;  
> A little blood play here. So, sorry if you're a little squeamish about stuff like that.

Lance returned back from his room after dinner with his family. He knew they were finding it odd that he chose to spend the day in his room rather than with them, like he normally would. But he had asked his mami if it was possible to keep his room clear of any of his family members, saying that he was working on something for class and that it was _for something important to his future._

Well, he wasn’t wrong. Keith was something important to his future. He just didn’t know how important.

He was going to find out.

He closed his door behind him with a quiet thud. The air around him swirled, changing into something thicker, hotter, as he made his way to the middle of the room. He could hear his family talking downstairs, going about their evening as normal. None of them paid him any heed. So he sought to go deeper.

It was weird. He had been in his room with the alien inside so many times now, but for some reason, while the moon shone through the window in the distance, it was different. He could smell a heavy scent of flowers and something so _other,_ heat filled the air, fluttering and swirling around him. It was an oddly pleasant feeling, as if something was calling out to him.

He pushed through the haze, gazing at the beautiful purple skinned alien lying on his bed. He was curled in the soft covers, the moonlight shimmering on him, making him glisten and glow. Mesmerising, the marks under his eyes, the little lighter purple marks that he hadn’t noticed before; they slit across his cheeks, down to his chin, and were _glowing._

Lance had the urge to lick them. _Where did_ that _particular thought come from?_

He sucked in a gasp as he let himself look. Keith looked like some long ago fallen angel, from his strong leg, thin waist, strong chest and broad shoulders. His face was _pretty,_ there was no other way Lance could describe it. Long purple black hair spilling onto his pillow like an inky halo.

Delighted, and extremely curious, Lance moved to the edge of the bed, wanting to get a closer look. He had technically been this close to the alien before, when he had taken him out of the star and held him close in the dark closet. The heat was just as heady now as it had been then.

But it was a little sweeter, a lot calmer, and just a touch more intense.

“Beautiful,” he murmured to himself, his voice surprisingly breathless. He was finding himself utterly besotted with the alien. He had abhorred the look on those pretty lips and that sorrowful look in his gold eyes when he had cried in his arms. He wanted to see Keith smile; he bet it was as radiant as he looked.

Lance groaned inwardly. He was becoming some poetically lovesick sap. But the sight of this man, this alien, with his eyes closed, lips parted slightly. It took a large amount of willpower for him to not simply cage the man to the bed, to hold him close and keep him away from any more pain.

What was happening to him?

Running his fingers through his hair, if only to keep them from touching the alien, he came to terms with just what he was about to do. One kiss wouldn’t hurt, would it? One little peck of his lips against that lavender skin. It was just something to stop Lance from going crazy with want.

Harmless…right?

In his mind, he knew this was wrong, he knew he was playing with fire. God, was he really going to do this? Was he really going to take advantage of a sleeping man? No, he shouldn’t. He wouldn’t. But why wasn’t his body listening to his mind? What was it about this alien that drew him in, what was it about the way Keith _was_ that made him want to…to…

Heat, their lips met in a breathless whisper, not touching but just breathing off one another. He didn’t let himself get further. He would be safe with kissing the air just by those sinful lips.

“It’s you…”

He jumped back at the sound of someone’s voice. He scrambled in the sheets, hoping to gain purchase, but his arm lost its purchase, grip faltering and he stumbled back onto the bed, his hands on either side of Keith’s body in an attempt to not fall. He saw Keith’s claws clench at his sides, and his darkened yellow gold eyes fluttered open. Keith was waking up. Yup, he was going to die.

Lance scrambled back up, vaulting up and away. He watched as Keith’s eyes opened, deep, intense that swirled a vividly shimmering gold among the yellow, as he sat up on the bed. The sheets fell to his lap; his face was mere inches away from Lance.

“Lance.” He murmured.

Lance shuddered at the way Keith said his name. Barely aware of his own rapturous expression, Lance stilled, his breath quickening, chest rising and falling rapidly. He saw those golden eyes darken, turning molten. A dark smirk replaced the sleepy look on the alien’s mouth.

Completely powerless to that gaze, Lance’s eyes slid shut as; almost imperceptibly he leaned in, his cool lips brushing against Keith’s right temple. He heard the quiet sigh escape Keith’s mouth.

_What are you doing, Lance? You’ve got to stop!_

He silently berated himself, but he found all he wanted to do was to stay, to touch, and to kiss. Falling into temptation, he dragged his lips lightly, ever so slowly, across Keith’s smooth brow down to the left side of his face. Keith was motionless, leaning in to his lips, tilting his head a little as Lance’s mouth met the skin of his neck. A storm raged inside Lance as he rained slow kisses along that pretty purple throat.

Keith tasted sweet, perfect. His neck arched so wonderfully, exposing his throat, little kitten soft mewls escaping his lips. His voice turning into a musical sigh as Lance’s attention became a burning fever; he lay open mouthed kisses along Keith’s collarbone and in the hollow of his throat, feeling the steady and fast paced pulse pounding underneath.

Claws dragged through his hair, pressing his face into the curve of that pretty neck. Lance held back a growl, happy that Keith was letting him do this. He had the sudden urge to bite into that skin. Teeth grazing, he was gentle when he bit into the flesh, almost inadvertently in his urgency.

He grinned when he heard a low and growling gasp. Still lost in his haze, he pulled away, resting his forehead against those broad shoulders. A part of him was relieved; these sensations were so desperately new to him, though not entirely unwelcome. Never had he felt so conflicted.

Here Lance was, closer to anyone that he had ever been, and he was an _alien!_ Yet, while his mind resisted, his heart, his very soul, was in complete and utter surrender to this man’s inquisitive touch. His traitorous body was not helping his confusion either. His mouth ached, yearning to feel Keith’s lips on his own.

No. He had to stop. He couldn’t seriously want to kiss Keith.

Yet…

Keith arched his neck, offering his skin, and Lance complied. Seeing the previous bite, a darkening bruise, he was eager to make more, to make it permanent. This man, this embodiment of extra-terrestrial perfect, whatever he was; he was looking at Lance with such reverence that all conscious thought banish from his mind.

Keith raised his gaze almost inquisitively, witnessing Lance’s flushed face. Their eyes met and Keith gently brushed his clawed thumb along Lance’s lower lip, tilting their faces together. He bowed his head down, claiming Lance’s mouth in a soft kiss.

Keith kissed him mildly, chastely, as if he was taking pleasure from the simple act of skin touching skin. He gently parted Lance’s lips with his own, as though testing Lance, curiously. Lance fell apart then, melting into that mouth, into that touch. He slipped his tongue in languorously, meeting Keith’s own and kissing him soundly.

Keith growled, deepening their kiss with devastating thoroughness. Lance moaned powerlessly, and responded in kind. Their hands found purchase on sheets, clothes, skin, like steel as they crushed together. Lance’s fingers buried in Keith’s _so soft_ hair, angling his head back to gain better purchase.

After what seemed like a beautiful eternity, their lips gentled until they were once again barely touching. Keith growled in displeasure, murmuring something in that language Lance really needed to start understanding. They parted was, breathing heavily. Keith let out an adorably disappointed mewl, which brought Lance to terms with what they had just done. He wanted to part away, to apologise. He had just taken advantage of the alien. He was a horrible person!

Keith’s gaze cleared from the desirous and primal to clear control, still that shimmering golden swirl. He stared straight into Lance, those eyes unwavering, and muttered a word that floored Lance.

“ _Chiikoi_.”

What?

Lance tried to pull back, but found he was unable to do so. Keith had him trapped with that one word, he felt paralysed. Keith’s hands soon found purchase on his chest, fingers spread wide. The familiar feeling of heat overwhelmed him, like he was being submerged into water. The world around them stopped, nothing moved, no sound, nothing.

It was just the two of them.

…it was heaven.

 _Dios,_ he was going to die. Why had he been so stupid? Of _course_ Keith was going to wake up; _of course_ Keith was going to kill him.

Keith’s long tongue flicked out to slide against Lance’s lips, and Lance’s thoughts dissolved once again. _Oh,_ what a gentle pleasure that touch was, it felt like a spark of electricity shuddering through his entire body, igniting a fire deep inside. He needed to kiss Keith again, and he needed to kiss him now.

 _Ay,_  he was a sinner. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Keith pressed his mouth to his own again, tenderly. But as he did so, Lance felt this was a lot different than before. Keith forced his mouth open again, and Lance felt a sharp sting against his lip. The taste of his blood filled their mouths, and he stiffened. But Keith’s hold on him only tightened.

He was frozen once again.

When Keith finally pulled away, Lance was shocked to see the dazed look in those beautiful golden eyes, his mouth dripping with his blood.

“ _Chiikoi_ ,” he murmured that word tenderly as he moved, with a liquid like grace and pushed Lance down onto the bed.

Oh god, Keith was going to kill him, and there was nothing could do to stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm hitting a 'soulmate' thing here.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. Keith's turning a little vampire like.

The sound of thousands of voices whispered into the eeriness of the room, like silkened waves, murmurs and sighes rose with each sway, dying down as the swell of the current ebbed lower.

Fire red light illuminated eerily into a giant throne, completely covering with angular stone and light reflecting metal. The light came from the giant fiery planet seen through the giant wall of windows on the other side of the throne.

Sitting on the throne was a large Galran, his striking lavender face contorted by the brightness, his clawed hand poised up, long fingers swirling once, making a large purple blue screen fill the void before him, blocking out the burning star.

“Lord Zarkon,” Another Galran appeared on the screen, holding a hand to his chest and nodding his head down in a bow. “I have news,”

Lord Zarkon’s expressionless eyes glared at the screen, a bright gleam in his eyes. A smirk rose to his set lips, yellow eyes roving over to the blurred screen, smirking as it came to full focus. He saw the still image of a frozen capsule rocketing into a planet.

A very familiar planet.

He had finally found the prince.

He snapped his fingers, calling a young woman to him. She made her way towards her king, her long robe hiding her smaller body, her face hidden under a hood, only her whitened gold eyes showing.

“We are very fortunate,” she spoke, her voice sultry and slow.

With a smirk, Lord Zarkon moved his hand in a curl and the screen disappeared before the space, showing the burning star once again.

“Now the real fun begins.”

 

Lance couldn’t help but moan.

His head was thrumming, his heart beat thudding, his nose filled with Keith’s enchanting scent, skin sensitive to Keith’s hot touch. Lance was unable to take the sound of Keith’s sweet voice as he murmured that word again, " _chiikoi_ ". His breath hot and moist against Lance’s cheeks. Clawed fingers caught on Lance’s hair, his skin, tugging at the neck of his shirt.

His legs were straddled over Lance’s hips, one bent and the other amputated one, flat on the other side, bare and pressed against Lance’s waist. Holy crap! Lance was finding it hard to breathe, trapped against Keith’s warm weight. He was getting very addictive to Keith’s scent. But reality reared its ugly head, his gaze darted to the closed door and back to the alien above him.

He sucked in a breath. Oh god, Keith looked so…wow. His mouth was slightly open, breathing harsh and hard, fangs sharp and eyes hazy. There was something so captivating about him, striking in a way that made Lance respond to him automatically.

He reprimanded himself at the instant reaction of Keith sitting on top of him, body pressing against hard and hot heat. Oh, fuck. He had never had anyone lay with him like this before.

“Lance…”

Oh god, his voice was a breathy, messy moan, and it really wasn’t helping Lance at all. It did things to his mind; things that should have made him pause. But all he could think about was running his fingers through Keith’s long hair.

Damn it, he wanted to kiss Keith again.

“Lance, _I don’t know what’s happening, but I…_ ” He sounded more insistent now, murmuring words and phrases Lance didn't understand, leaning the full weight of his body on him. _“Are you my…chiikoi?”_

Keith sounded so confused, saying that word again. He stretched his legs down and tangled them tighter around Lance’s, holding him in place. The ends of his hair tickled Lance’s skin, sending goose bumps along his flesh.

A sensational gasp tore through Lance’s throat, and he pressed back into the mattress, staring in frozen disbelief at the man above him. “What are you doing?”

Keith blinked in surprise at his outburst before a smile spread across his lips. Everything turned blurry, like a heated haze coming up off like a wildfire. All he had were his senses, and they were all demanding him to touch, smell, taste.

He leaned in closer, unsure of what to think, of what to do. He reached down and stroked his claws down Lance’s cheek, marvelling at the sand coloured skin. “ _You must be…I don’t know how else to explain this, Shiro never told me,”_

He knew his words were outlandish, he didn’t really know what to do. He had heard stories about chiikoi; soulmates, lovers that spanned the universe, never to be broken apart, thirsting for one another, stronger together than anything. To think this terran could be _his_ chiikoi.

If this really was a dream, then he never wanted to wake.

He had to make sure, however. But he hadn't been taught what to do. He was running purely on instinct. “ _You must not move_ ,”

Keith’s alluring voice echoed in Lance’s mind, his strong blossom like scent invaded his senses and made the entire thoughts scatter in his mind. He watched as Keith held his hand to his mouth, nicking Lance’s finger with his fangs. Lance winced at the pain, but broke out into a moan when Keith’s thin tongue ran along his finger, sucking on the blood.

Lance lay frozen, mind fuzzy. What was Keith doing to him?

Keith groaned, his head throbbing, he wanted to taste more of Lance. His claws coasted along Lance’s neck, thumb pressed lightly at his throat. At the sight of his skin reddening, Keith’s stomach groaned, reminding him of a hunger, of a thirst that he didn’t understand.

“ _Push me off,”_ He purred.

Lance shuddered at the sound. He couldn’t help but run a hand down Keith's silken sides, the armour like a second skin on his body. He should have pushed Keith back, but his hand stayed. Keith arched his back, shivers running down his spine.

He leaned into Lance again, gasping when he felt something hard against his thigh. Keith grinned, hazy and lost in the heat, his fangs grazed against Lance’s jaw, tongue licking sweetly. “ _You’re getting turned on, chiikoi,”_

Lance’s eyes snapped open. Thoughts came to a screeching halt, motor skills lost. Unconsciously he craned his neck to one side, feeling those sharp fangs drag down the column of his throat. Oh god, everything was so sensitive, so hazy. His body was heated, burning like a fire. This was all so frightening, yet so marvellous. So exciting.

He knew he should push the alien away, he could hear a commotion coming from downstairs. Hear the front door open and close, followed by the thudding of footsteps coming up the stairs. They were all out there, unaware that he was here getting turned on by a beautiful alien.

Keith’s growl caused a chill to rush down his spine. And that was when he felt the sharp press of fangs breaking into his skin. Lance gasped, his body shuddering. He had expected pain, but not…not this. It was surprisingly euphoric.

There was so much lust, so much power, so _much emotion._ Perfect. Every suck of those lips against his neck felt like bolts of lightning rushing down his spine. Keith sucked at his neck so savagely, moaning in the pleasure of his taste. Lance tightened his grip on Keith’s shoulders, body heating up, too shocked to move.

Keith snarled viciously, stilling him all the more. He took Lance’s arms and threw them up over his head, his scent permeating the air around them, hair shielding them from the world. Lance’s mind was reeling, something twisted in his stomach, heart doing a strange tumble. He let out a quiet moan, unable to take it anymore.

“ _Chiikoi_ ,” There was that word again, Lance sucked in a breath, Keith’s nose pressing into the bloodied mess of his neck. Thin tongue lucking at the bruise. He leaned back then, moving away and pausing in his ministrations.

Lance looked up at him, despite the situation, despite the absolute freakiness of what they had just done; he couldn’t help but stare at the man before him. See those elongated fangs pressing against blood soaked lips. He couldn’t help but think Keith looked…

“Beautiful,”

Keith stilled at his words, not so much in what he said, but just how he said it. There was no need for them to understand one another's language. They knew what this was, and it was what they both wanted. Keith smiled and hid his face back at Lance’s throat, driving his sharp fangs into the skin once again.

“ _Yorak!_ Stop!”

Lance growled, feeling fangs being ripped out of his throat, feeling the warmth of Keith’s mouth leaving his skin. The euphoric feeling vanished, leaving him empty, cold and alone. He held back a grunt of pain at the sudden sensation. His head suddenly pounding at the loss, aching in a way that levelled him.

Opening his eyes, Lance saw Shiro holding onto the, now feral alien. Keith's claws and fangs biting into his silver blue prosthetic arm, which was wrapped around his chest, holding him still. He suddenly had the urge to go up to the large man, and push him away. Throw punches and kicks and save his chiikoi.

Wait... _his...what?_

Lance barely took notice of his sister taking care of the bite would on his neck. Too lost in his thoughts. His hands were shaking, his mouth dry, and his head swimming. He couldn’t tear his gaze from Keith, seeing those golden eyes widened in fear. Not fear from himself…but fear for _him._ Keith was scared _for_ Lance.

“ _Shiro! Let me go! I need him!”_ Keith cried, his vision turned blurry and red. He needed Lance, he needed to be closer, he _had_ to be closer. But Shiro was stopping him, _why was Shiro stopping him?_ Wait...his head snapped back to the man holding him, eyes widened. “ _Shiro! You’re here!_ ”

Lance pushed Allura away, grinning drunkenly when he saw Keith’s bright smile. He looked so happy at seeing Shiro and it made a small part inside him glow with warmth. Though his mind was still hazy, he understood the relationship they shared. He didn't know how he knew, but he understood it. It was a brotherhood. It was a sibling love.

But, just how _did_ Keith know Shiro?

Lance stood then, reaching out for Keith, needing to be near him. But as soon as he took a step closer, he felt his world tilt. Dropping to his knees, Lance clutched his aching head in his hands, screaming as the pain increased, the pounding ache reverberating through his head. His eyes dilated, pupils barely there anymore, his skin felt like it was on fire.

“Lance!” Keith yanked himself out of Shiro’s grip, dropping to the ground. He held himself up by is arms, dragging his body and making his way to the fallen man. “ _Shiro, please, you have to let me help him,”_

Allura rushed to Lance’s side, holding an arm around him and checking him. She didn’t know what was happening but she knew it must have been something Keith had done. She moved in front of Lance in an attempt to keep the alien away from her brother.

Shiro’s eyes widened, noticing Keith’s injuries. “Your leg,”

“ _I can save him,”_ Keith screeched, his gaze hardening as he reached for Lance. He forced himself up on his one leg, feeling himself faltering. He clenched his hands to his side, claws out. He was ready to fight anyone and anything holding him back.

“ _Prince Yorak…you haven’t.”_ Shiro narrowed his gaze at the alien, making his way over to his brother.

“ _I don’t know,_ ” Keith looked up at him, eyes widened and wet with his emotions. “ _All I know is that he is mine.”_

Shiro seemed hesitant, but he stepped to the side, letting go of his prince. Keith’s gaze softened when he saw Lance on the ground, his eyes closed tightly and his knuckles white from pressing into his head, as if he were trying to squeeze out the pain.

“Lance,” he murmured, dropping down in front of him. He heard Shiro speak to Allura in the same language the terran’s spoke, but moments passed, in which Allura looked at them both, but she stood up then, leaving Keith to his Lance. Keith nodded, and sunk his fangs into his wrist, drawing out welts of dark blood, and held it out in front of the terran. He didn’t know what he was doing, running on instincts alone.

Lance gazed up through heavy and drowsy eyes, seeing the blurred vision of the man who had inflicted this pain on him. His head was pounding madly, he wanted desperately for something or someone to quell the pain. Anything.

He felt something press against his drying lips, whatever the warm liquid was made the pain dissipate, albeit slowly. In a mad and hungry rush, he took a hold of the appendage that was granting him blessed relief and drank as much as he could. His grip tightened on the appendage and he pulled it closer to his mouth. His body felt heavy with every sip, full and completed sated. His head lolled to the side and onto something soft and incredibly warm. He continued to suck on the appendage like a baby.

 _Wow_. Allura should deliver this to everyone in pain. It was such a fast acting reliever. He felt the world around him swirl, as if it was tilting in a circle before stopping in complete stillness. A perfect landing.

Allura and Shiro watched with avid fascination as Lance drank the aliens’ blood like a starved man. Allura stepped forward, hoping to help them in any way. But Shiro held his arm up to him, making her stop. “I know it seems weird, but you need to let him finish.”

“ _Don’t worry, Allura._ ” Attention turned to the alien calling her name. His voice was low and breathy when he spoke. “ _I won’t let anything happen to him,”_

“What have you done to him?” Allura asked, holding her hands to her hips.

Shiro raised a slanted eyebrow. “You remember the thing I told you about chiikoi’s,”

“Soulmates, you had said,” Allura replied, remembering the conversation they had had many months ago. It had caused many thoughts to rush through her mind, making her shudder at the sweet thought. “Is this what is happening?”

Shiro let a small smile reach the corner of his thin mouth. “it's something like that.”

When Lance’s head dropped onto Keith's shoulder, Keith pulled his arm away from his mouth and let out a long breath. Running soothing claws down Lance's short hair. “ _My chiikoi,_ ”

Lance let out a low groan and blinked open his dark eyes. When had he closed them? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he was exhausted but completely sated and everyone was looking at him in awe. “What happened?”

Keith pushed him from his body, needing to get away from Lance before he did anything they both might regret and staggered to a stand, watching as the others rushed to put him back on the bed. He stood directly in front of Shiro and held his arms out to him.

“ _I am you prince; you are my brother and knight,_ ” Keith said slowly, his voice still hoarse and his breathing heavy, holding his wrists up in a sign of submission. “ _I demand you to hold me as prisoner_ ,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuun...
> 
> Worry not, we will have more of a Shiro and Keith brotherly love in the next chapter. And more will be explained about everything that's happening.


	15. Chapter 15

She had heard the transmission before she had seen what it had meant. It zoomed through the starry skies, trialling through the universe, ignored by others. But not by her. She took a moment to analyse the data, seeing what it obtained within its message. It looked like one of the dead languages, Galra.

_The prince lives._

The prince, _her_ prince? She had thought Daibazaal was dead, until now. But if this transmission was hurtling through space, that meant her prince was not safe. With a sudden explosion, she rippled through the black space surrounding her and made her way through the galaxy in mere seconds, heading for the universe the transmission had been sent from.

But she was not alone. She had picked up a companion, a small long haul craft that took to following her tail. She just hoped it was because the other craft was curious to who she was, but she received no hail, nothing at all. She knew whoever it was, was not friendly. But she didn’t take the time to wait for its reaction. She locked on her target and took aim. It slipped out of the way, avoiding the plasma blast, zooming passed and dodging her shots.

They arrived near a red planets outer atmosphere. She scanned the planet and found that the other had no real reason to land here. The planet was barren. She expanded her view and saw that indeed there were no life forms on the planet, but there were smaller, robotic individuals that inhabited the land. She aimed another plasma blast at the ship, and this time it didn’t miss. Striking the other head on, she saw it crash land onto the planet. Getting closer to make sure it stayed down, she dodged rocks and debris showering the upper atmosphere. She needed to make sure her prince was safe, and the best way to do that was to make sure the man was down.

But she was too late.

The transmission had been taken and forwarded, coordinates sent somewhere in the distant galaxy. But they had made one fatal mistake, they hadn’t scrambled the message. 

_“To all Galra within functioning capacity, Earth is your destination. The last living Galran Prince is alive.”_

Reaching for her own communicator, she created her own transmission, location set up and ready, encrypted to only those within the resistance, the only ones that were left, and unleashed it to the universe.

"This is Krolia of the Blade, the prince is alive, be ready,"

Keith woke up with a start, sweat dripped down his face and neck. His head shook from side to side, but a stab of pain forced him to stop. He groaned, wanting desperately to stretch his legs, but his mind met resistance. He didn’t dare move.

He sat there on the Lance’s bed, with his legs crossed in a meditative position. It was abhorrently hot, as he had expected it to be. His fur was going to have to get used to the atmosphere here. Thankfully there was a luminescence coming from the large window, orange and red hues turning to blue and black as the single sun set.

He squinted, trying to make shapes through closed eyes. He could sense his Lance in the house, he must be relatively close. Keith groaned, he could still taste Lance’s delicious blood on his tongue, feel his hot, muscular body underneath his own, smell that familiar scent of juniberries and salty air that was so uniquely Lance.

Oh the feel of that mouth.

Keith ached all over for him.

But he forced himself to stay focused. He had to be strong now. One slip of his mind, one slight thought out of the normal and his entire world, everything he had worked so hard for since his last slip up, his last sip, would all be destroyed. How could he have drunk from Lance?

All in all, this was not the best solution he could have asked for. But there was no use worrying about it now. What was done was done. There was no sound in the room, except for the whooshing sound of the _sea_ as Lance had called it. Taking in a deep breath, he smelled that intoxicating scent of Lance once again.

_Stop it._ Goose bumps rose on his heated skin.

Was Lance thinking of him the same way he thought about Lance? The feel of his warm lips, his hard body beneath his own, his heat spreading over Keith’s thighs, his quick gasps and moans caving his stomach and raising his broad chest and shoulders, the delightful shivers that made Keith want him so much, that sinewy strength of him pressed closer to his own pounding heartbeat, so strong, so loud. A shiver ran through his body.

Stop thinking about him.

He took deep breaths, calming his erratic heart.

Keith felt Shiro enter the room before he heard his footsteps. Shiro stood directly in front of him, at the edge of the bed.

_“It’s good to see you meditating,”_ His voice was filled with relief. And Keith understood why, so many years had passed since they had last seen one another. They had both thought the other dead. It was so good to hear someone else speaking Galran.

Keith had always felt like he was being tested whenever his father came to him. However it never felt like that with Shiro. There was something very _family like_ about him. He had always found it easy to read a person, looking into someone’s eyes, watching the movement of their face, their body and hands, listening to the words they said, and those they didn’t. He could understand everything he needed to know about them.

And these terrans were no different.  _Lance_ was different, however.

Keith closed his eyes, taking deep measured breaths. Shiro had amazing timing, maybe he could focus on talking to his guard, rather than thinking about Lance.

_“You taught me well,”_ he replied.

Shiro smirked, _“You’re showing signs of hesitancy, although I really don’t know why,”_

This was good, if Shiro argued with him, that’d definitely make Keith stop thinking about Lance.

_“You know what happened,”_ Keith replied, and silently berated himself for calling himself Keith. When had he started doing that? “He _is the reason why I have to meditate,”_

Keith felt the shift in the air as Shiro narrowed his gaze. He was watching Keith closely the entire time he spoke. _“You can’t repress your natural instincts to be mated with Lance,”_

_“Natural instincts,”_ his eyes snapped open and his fingers turned taught, into claws. “ _I’ve inflicted a curse on an innocent terran, all because I was too hungry to think otherwise,”_

_“I don’t think that’s the case,”_ Shiro stood closer to the bed, not breaking his stance, or his knightly persona. _“You didn’t attack Allura, or anyone else in this home…you didn’t run, you didn’t kill. You went after Lance,”_

He paused to let that fact sink in. Keith thought about that for a second. _Quiznak_ , Shiro was right. Keith had had ample enough time to run, to fight, to kill, and yet as soon as Lance had stepped foot into the room, Keith’s thirst had focused on him.

Only him.

The very scent of him was intoxicating.

_“So, what are you going to do?”_

_“Fix my leg, and get out of here,”_ Keith rolled his eyes from behind closed eyes. Angels, he really had done it this time. He let out a small smirk at his self-inflicted demise. Mating rituals. What he had inflicted on Lance had allowed him to pine, and want for Lance. But Lance would feel _nothing_ for him.

Shiro’s footsteps on the ground were silent, but Keith heard the quiet thuds cross the room, closer to his other side, his injured side.

_“You’re going to kill yourself,”_ He stated calmly, though Keith knew he was nowhere near as calm as he was trying to be.

_“What else can I do?”_ Keith clenched his eyes tight at the thought of what he was doing. It was for the best after all. He would not inflict pain on the people around him, especially not to Lance. Not to his chiikoi. _“Lance will forget about me, he is not Galran, he will not suffer the same fate,”_

“Some fate, huh,” Shiro let out a musical tone, he raise an eyebrow when he saw Keith look at him oddly. “ _Remember Yorak, patience yields focus,_ _you need to focus on what’s right in front of you,_ ”

Keith growled, but sought instead to change the subject. He needed to focus, to think about anything other than his slowly breaking resistance to his own thoughts. Thoughts that made him were to break away from this bed and hunt for the pretty terran. The others’ be damned.

He opened his eyes and looked up to his knight, his brother. Change the subject. “ _What happened to Daibazaal?”_

_“Yorak…you can’t—”_

He cut him off before Shiro could continue. _“No. Please. I want to hear it from you.”_

_“Why?”_ He raised a thin eyebrow at his prince.

Keith let out a long breath, looking directly into his brothers eyes. _“Because you have fallen to the same fate as me, you have also lost your planet.”_

Shiro settled down on the bed next to Keith, reaching out to place a hand on his thigh. That was when Keith noticed the prosthetic limb; sleek and white in colour, the metal was cool, but smooth, fingers tight and moving. Solid lines with a firm grip. He didn't flinch, not now that he too was crippled, amputated.  _“What do you remember?”_

_“The sky was dark, black rain fell all the time, people were dying.”_ Keith wrinkled his nose, his head starting to ache as he recalled his memories; the darkness, the tangy scent of acid and tar in the air, the smell and sight of dead bodies piling up in the streets. _“I can’t…really remember all that well.”_

Shiro tightened his grip on Keith’s thigh, seeming distant as he spoke, stoic. _“The virus took over, the lightning and clouds made it impossible to get out. But once everyone was sick, the clouds dispersed.”_

Keith let out a choking breath. Everyone...was...dead?

_“The virus only affected Galran’s and nothing else. The wildlife lived on.”_ Shiro continued. Keith understood his stiffness, his stilted silence. He held back his emotions at the memory. He had to tell his prince the truth, there was no sugar coating something like this.

Keith looked up at him, hopefully. _“Daibazaal is still out there?”_

“After so many years, everything would have perished.” Shiro stated, cutting off any hope they may have had. It may have been a harsh reality for them both, but they both needed to know there was no logical reason for them to go back to their planet, especially if it would only help in killing them both.

They were the last of their kind, endangered. “ _We can’t go back,_ ”

Keith crumbled to the bed.

Shiro turned to the door, seeing Allura standing there, peering through the door. But he stayed by his prince’s side. He knew how fruitless it would be to say empty words. He knew the emotions running through his prince, how much it hurt. But he also understood the need for them to stay strong. They were the last of their kind. This was the reason why he was desperate for his prince to stay with his chiikoi. Yorak deserved his happiness, however fruitless it could be.

He jumped when he heard his prince’s’ anguished screams, followed by every glass object in the room smashing into pieces. Fearing for the thundering footsteps rushing up the stairs, he stood before his prince, not letting anyone in until he knew his prince had settled.

No matter how long that would take.


	16. Chapter 16

_“Lance…my chiikoi,”_

Lance’s eyes snapped open wide, his breathing was ragged, his skin drenched with sweat. He gazed around to see he was in the living room, on the sofa, tangled in a blanket he knew his mami had placed on him.

What was _that_ dream about?

He couldn’t really remember much, but he could definitely remember that man. That alien. That voice. That low, hauntingly, indescribably beautiful and ethereal voice. It thrummed through him with a delectable intensity, lighting up a secret thrill in his veins.

God, it was so familiar a voice. Insubstantially.

He had called Lance his ‘chiikoi’, whatever that meant. And he had only ever heard that word once before. He still didn’t know what it meant, but he wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad sign.

It was probably his mind playing tricks with him, he was exhausted after all. He had been up early that morning, had the whole _alien invasion_ thing happened, met a gorgeous purple skinned alien, saved him, watched him sever his leg – yeah that particular thought was not going to come out of his mind any time soon.

But he _had_ been bitten by the alien, ay dios, he could have some kind of unknown disease running through him, what if there were some alien pathogens in the alien that had been passed down onto him? What about his blood, Lance’s skin had been splattered by it.

He really didn’t remember much after the splitting headache, but apparently he had drunk the alien’s blood. Or something like that. It all sounded so fantastical, that he wasn’t sure. But he did remember the taste of something sweet and salty, and then all the pain he had felt had gone away.

What if, by drinking Keith’s blood he had had some adverse effects that were making him dream about the alien?

Maybe he should consult with Allura?

He shook his head, lying back down on the sofa. He wasn’t about to tell anyone in his family that he was having vivid dreams about the alien. Especially ones that made him feel so…good.

He just hoped these dreams were the only side effect of that bite.

 

Oh, how very wrong he was.

It hadn’t been a few hours since he had been bitten, but Lance felt more alive and awake that he had in a long time. As soon as he had woken up, he was bright and happy, as if everything in the world was right.

He was satisfied with the kids rushing and running around him that afternoon, he had helped his mother cook – though this was just a motive to keep her and the others in the house in the kitchen, and nowhere near his room, – where he knew the pretty alien was still sleeping.

He knew he should have been freaked out of his mind, but for some reason he felt like he was able to do everything without hesitation.

But with that, he was so very distracted. Every few moments he felt as if something was with him, someone was watching him, something in the corner of his mind was standing next to him, smiling brightly, pressed up against his back. His entire body itched for something, but he didn’t know what it was.

That was how his mami found him. She was peering out from the kitchen doors, watching her son staring out into the space between the television and the picture frames hanging on the wall.

“Mijo!” she cried, calling out to her absentminded son.

Lance jolted at his name. He looked up and saw his mami give him a look. What had happened, what had she said? Something about…she was holding a wooden spoon to her hip, giving him a stern look.

“Ah, lo siento mami,” He stood up and made his way over to her.

“Are you alright, Lance?” she asked, moving out of the way as her son entered the kitchen, ready to help her once again. She held a hand to his shoulder. “You look…”

“I’m alright,” Lance replied, cursing at his absentmindedness. “I just got distracted.”

“Is it about the boy in your room?”

“What?” Lance replied quickly, how the _hell_ had she found out? Sure it was true that the alien was on his mind, and he really didn’t know why. It was as if he was there, in the background, not really bothering him. Keith was just…there, pleasantly.

How had his mami found out? Did she know he was an alien? Did she know how he had gotten here? Was she going to make them turn him in? Or worse…

“You can’t hide something like this from your mami,” She replied, returning to the pot that was simmering a sauce that smelled amazing. “I don’t care if you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend; I just want you to be safe,”

Though that was definitely not what was happening, he was glad to know his mother was okay with him being bisexual. He hadn’t really had the chance to come out to her. But hell, this was one way.

Lance dropped his head down, sucking in a harrowed breath. “I’m sorry mami, but I—”

“Help me with the sauce, mijo,” She interrupted him, holding the wooden spoon out to him. “We can talk more later, but I want to meet this boy that had you so infatuated,”

Infatuated was one way to say it.

He knew his mother was only thinking the best about him, but he couldn’t help himself. He was the one who had kissed Keith. He still didn’t understand why he had done that, why his heart had demanded he kiss the pretty alien, demanding that without Keith he wouldn’t be able to live.

And that bite…

He ran his fingers over the mark in his neck, a small crescent shaped crevice that wasn’t really all that noticeable. He was still shocked that an alien biting him on the jugular could feel so…good. Especially the way Keith pressed up against him, body so hot and strong, the soft mewling noises he made when he drank from Lance. It was…

He was doing it again. He needed to focus. Keith was messing with his mind. And he still had to make sure his mami never saw him. It was going to be damn near impossible to explain the purple skin and the whole _alien_ thing.

He really needed to get his thoughts and feeling in check. What was wrong with him? Holding a hand to his hear he groaned inwardly. The itch was back, the feeling of someone watching him. Ad he couldn’t let it go. It couldn’t be because of Keith, could it? But, what else could it be?

He stopped himself. No, he wasn’t going to think about this, he wasn’t going to go see the pretty alien.

Even though he was completely against it, he found himself thinking about the alien, remembering the way he had just been laying there, sleeping so peacefully, so contently, looking so…well, wow.

He just _had_ to see Keith again.

But his thoughts were interrupted when he heard an almighty scream echo through the house, followed by the glasses shuddering, some cracking and others tumbling to the ground.

He knew that sound, he had remembered the same screeching sound when he had seen Keith hack away at his leg.

_Keith!_


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking liberties on Lance's mother's name, because I do not know what it is.  
> If anyone does, please tell me!

_So…that could have gone a whole lot better._

Keith was so thankful for Shiro in that moment. With the sound of the footsteps thumping outside of the safe haven they had called their prison, Shiro had reached for the unseen piercing behind his ear and held onto the small, silver ball in his thumb and forefinger.

Keith’s eyes widened. He knew what that was.

It was a form changer, one that would help Keith change his body into whatever species surrounded them. Shiro had one inside him already; it was what made him look like the terrans around them. He had looked like this ever since Keith’s father had wanted to take his kingdom into different world.

This was the last creation his father had perfected.

As the footsteps grew louder, Shiro had been ready in a split second. Holding the silver ball tighter in his grip, he rubbed it clean on his shirt, and made his way over to Keith. His thick boots thundered on the ground to hide the sound of the feet rushing up the stairs.

Shiro gave Keith a look, one that showed he was sorry for what he was about to do.

“ _Its okay, Shiro. I understand,”_ And Keith did understand. Though he hated the very thought of it, this was for the betterment of their stay here. If they had any luck to stay here and recuperate, then they needed time. And this little ball would help them.

Keith wasn’t sure of what to expect when that ball finally got inside him. But he was going to be ready for whatever it was Shiro was going to do. This pain can’t be as bad as the absolute white hot pain of slicing his leg off.

“ _Quickly, my prince,”_ Shiro said. Keith leaned forward, exposing his throat to his guard. It felt so good to hear someone speak his own language after fearing its desolation.

Shiro’s claws pressed into his throat, snicking a small line just over the jugular. The pain was barely a scratch to the surface of the pain he had felt before. The blood seeped out, blackened and shimmering, and a silver ball took its place.

Keith grit his teeth, holding back a screech as the silver ball worked through him, dissolving in his blood and seeping like a frozen shiver all through his body. It wasn’t as bad as the severing, but at least that was localised to one place. Right now, the prince felt like he had been dunked into a bath of ice.

_Quiznak! It was so much!_

Almost immediately, the purple of Keith’s skin turned to a brilliant pale white, fur receding into him, only the long black hair on his head was left. His ears shifted, spilling down and into a dull curve, his teeth surprisingly stayed sharp, though duller than usual, his skin shuddering a feral pink and smoothing out, soft to the touch and similar to the colour of the silver of the planet just outside the terran Earth’s orbit.

Keith hated it. It made him look…weaker, like a baby who just came into their fangs. He guessed that was what he was now, without a leg, without a planet. He was no longer Galran anymore, was he?

_“Prince Yorak, going undercover,”_ Shiro murmured, his hand pressed to Keith’s throat to the closing wound he had inflicted.

_Yes…he was undercover._

The doors behind them opened, and in filtered a lovely looking older woman, dressed in warm colours, hair dark and tied in a tail at the nape of her neck, her robust round face held a strong smile, her eyes wide and the same blue as Lance’s.

This was Lance’s mother.

 

 

Elena McClain was excited as she made her way through her home and to her eldest sons’ room. She was eager to see the person her son was so infatuated with, but she had to make sure this boy was not a threat to his family.

She was concerned, especially after knowing what happened to her mijo with that awful girl he had dated before. But she jumped at the chance to see this boy right away.

Her Lance had never looked like that before, like he was in love.

She had seen all sorts of things about these new kinds of loves, of boys liking boys, and girls liking girls. And here they were, right here in her very home. Her son _liked_ a boy.

She hoped that she was able to make a good enough impression with this boy. After overhearing, okay she’ll admit she had been spying a little, on the conversations Lance had with Allura, about a boy in his room, she knew there was something going on.

Lance wouldn’t lie to her, not about something like this. Not unless he was scared, not unless he wanted to gather his courage and tell her the truth.

She would wait, but she would also show him that she was ready, that she was happy with his choices.

Her excitement was short lived however, when she remembered just what had brought her up these stairs. She had heard the boy scream, something inhuman, something worrisome, something….so filled with pain.

Her instincts had told her to go, so she had. She was quick, but not as quick as Lance. He had bounded up the stairs and straight to his bedroom. Throwing open the door and rushing inside.

That was when she saw the mess. The floor was covered with broken pieces of glass, and she was glad she was wearing her shoes.

“What happened?” she asked, rushing over to the door. She pushed her son from the door and stepped inside.

That was when she saw the pretty young boy sitting on her son’s bed, curled up in the covers. She noticed the blood on the sheets, the bandaged amputated leg, the sweaty sheen on his pale skin and the abject fear in his wide, purple eyes. He was a mess, sitting there, shuddering and shivering.

Shiro was sitting in the spot next to him, holding a hand to his shoulder.

Elena didn’t let the sudden shock of the recently amputated boy on her sons bed keep her back. She was quick to his side, the small slip of a boy shaking like a leaf, and wrapped him in her arms.

“Oh mi querido,” she murmured to him, grasping him close to her chest and running her fingers through his long, shoulder length hair. “Everything is going to be okay,”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all,  
> Sorry about the long wait. I have been getting bad news after bad news all week, and have just been rather...down about it.  
> But I do want to write, and I will be finishing this fic. I have a lot of other ideas in the back burner too. 
> 
> I will do my best to make this a daily update, but sorry in advance if I do miss a few days here and there!  
> Love you all!
> 
> Now, let's get this party started, shall we?

Once the room had been cleaned, and the rest of the family – who had all piled into Lance’s room after hearing the commotion and the frantic footfalls of their mother rushing upstairs – had all left only Elena, Lance, Keith and Shiro in the room – not after muttering ‘ _oh my god, Lance has a boyfriend!’_ and _‘did you see all the blood?’ –_ Elena took to sitting on the edge of the bed, her arms still wrapped around the shivering pale skinned boy.

She hadn’t seen this boy around the village before, but maybe he was from the city, or a tourist or something. He looked like he had only _just_ had his leg amputated – but that couldn’t be right, could it? She should probably call the hospital just in case. The bandage wrapped around his leg was starting to turn a faint pink from the blood.

She had all sorts of questions running through her mind, but she could see the fear slowly edging its way into the pale boy’s eyes, and the way her Lance was shifting from foot to foot, fidgeting and fiddling with his fingers. And her motherly instincts just took over. She wanted to make sure this pretty little pale boy was safe. Who knew just what he had gone through?

What had he been doing to create such a mess in the first place? She knew Shiro couldn’t have done this, after all, he was a lovely young man, he knew how they all worked in this family. Shiro wouldn’t have done something like this.

So that meant it had to be the little slip of a boy lying on the bed. To think he could create such a mess, so quickly. It made her worry about him. Just what had this poor boy been through?

He was sitting at the head of the bed, curled up in a little ball, his head on his knees. He had flinched when she had come to hold him, as if he wasn’t used to others touching him – and that was a damn shame. He looked up at her, noticing her staring at him, his eyes were red as if he had been crying for hours, and his fingers were taut, like claws, raw red scratch marks on his arms. He looked dejected and exhausted.

“Ay, querido,” she let out a breath, reaching tentatively out for him. The scream had been heart wrenching, it had made her heart physically ache for the boy. She felt sympathy for him. “What happened?”

She jumped when she heard him speak, in a language she had not heard of before. It sounded like a mix of something far eastern and Russian, guttural and gruff, yet lilting and soft. It was…delightful to know there was a language like this out there.

She turned to her son, hoping he could translate. After all, they must have communicated somehow with how infatuated they looked for one another – a mother always knew things like this.

Lance wasn’t looking at her, his gaze so intense on the boy. Ay, dios, this was going to be problematic. She turned back to the boy and noticed his claw like nails were sticking to his arm, causing rivulets of blood to seep out in thin lines over his pale skin.

She wasn’t the least bit surprised when Shiro started talking to the boy in that same language. And it clicked; _this_ was probably how her son had met this boy. He must be related to Shiro in some way. They did have a strikingly similar resemblance.

“We need to get you to the hospital,” she said quietly, slowly, as if trying to rouse the frightened boy to her.

“No, mami,” Lance murmured, his voice was surprisingly hoarse. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,”

“Mijo, he’s hurt,” Elena replied, holding a hand out to the boy. The boy shook his head, vehemently, digging his nails deeper into his skin. She grabbed his hands, in hopes to stop him; that was when she noticed that he was trembling. “Ay dios, okay. Stop doing that,”

This boy obviously didn’t want any sympathy. Elena could relate to that.

He was speaking again, in that language, words that were coming fast and strong and hopeful. His eyes were wide, filled with fear, with such worry. His head dropped back onto his knees, and his body started shuddering, trembling as he tried to force himself into a small ball, as if he were trying to make himself invisible.

It made a small part of her want to just wrap this little boy up in the softest of covers and sing him a lullaby. He was such an oddly sweet boy.

“What is he saying, Takeshi?” She turned to Shiro instead, wanting to know just what this boy was saying. He was repeating the same words and phrases again and again, words that sounded like gibberish to her. But he was saying them with such vehemence, with such _fear_.

He looked so afraid.

Shiro stood a little taller then, hands clenching to fists at his sides as he listened to the poor boy muttering those words again and again. “He is saying ‘I am sorry’,”

Elena’s eyes widened, she turned back to the boy, reaching for his arm and holding onto him with the softest of touches she could muster. “What are you sorry for, mi cielo?”

He was speaking again, and she could feel just how earnest he was, the words were so soft and lilting, yet so harsh and heartfelt. Tears were pricking the corners of his purple tinged eyes, threatening to fall.

_“I’m sorry for landing here, I’m sorry for taking residence your home. I’m sorry for my leg, I’m sorry for…for everything!_ _Your son has been nothing but pleasant but I need to heal before I can leave. I mean no harm, no harm! Please, please, please don’t kill me, I will do anything, I will give you anything, please don’t kill me.”_

She darted her gaze to Shiro, but saw he had instead sought to rushing over to the boy, dragging him up from the bed and crushing him to his chest. He replied back to the boy, words sweeter and softer as he spoke, as he consoled the poor boy.

“You tell him, Shiro.” She said, once she heard Shiro’s voice turn into a whispered repeat, as if he were calming the boy down. “You tell him he is welcome here, he is _safe_ here.”

Shiro nodded, repeating the same words to the boy. She saw the boy cease in his shivering, and then those eyes darted up to her, shining with tears. But there was such a wondrous smile on his lips, lips trembling as he spoke to her.

She didn’t need to know what he was saying, she understood. This kind of feeling was universal after all. He was her sons love, her sons’ boy, he was important to their life. And she was going to make sure he felt safe here. She wouldn’t question his past. He would tell her on his own, she’d find out somehow. But for now, she was going to make sure he was healthy and happy here.

“You’re welcome,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My neighbour calls me 'ceilo' which she told me means 'sky', and is a term of endearment.  
> Sorry if that's not what it means...


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad you all like Elena.  
> I always thought Lance's mother would be sweet and adoring, and just a little bit snappish at her children -- because well, she's a mother after all. She loves her children and I hope that shows as the story continues.
> 
> Thank you for all of your kind words!

“Fascinating,”

Keith held back a grin. This Allura was so entranced by the mere thought of him looking like them, like an alien. It obviously meant that Shiro hadn’t shown her how he really looked like.

It was funny to see these _humans_ so fascinated by the mere thought of other worlders; Keith had barely scratched the surface of his own species to her. He could tell this woman truly did not have any ill intent towards him. She really was an explorer, a researcher in a way. She was interested in him in a scientific sort of way.

He wasn’t sure if that boded well for him. But what else could he do? He was, after all, stuck here. The other woman, Elena she had called herself, but he noticed everyone else called her ‘mami’, and that confused him. Was her name Elena or Mami? Was the second word only used by people close to her? Was she some kind of royal, and Elena was a way of calling her queen or something?

Galran’s didn’t have any other word for one another, other than their names, their ranks and their chiikoi’s. Maybe Mami was her rank? She surely knew how to control the room, maybe Mami meant major, or general?

Slowly, he had noticed the rest of the clan in this building were just as curious as the Mami. They had been at the door, looking in, just wanting to see him, to see something new and intriguing. Maybe they had figured out he was a prince, maybe Shiro had told them of his rank. He could speak their language after all.

It was so interesting for him to see, there were so many different ages, so many different kinds of species here. So many people he could have drunk from.

Shiro had been right. No one other than Lance was good enough. No one made Keith salivate at the thought of taking from him. Keith had restraint, it seemed, enough to roam the building without the need of lunging on a person when he was particularly hungry. But he wouldn’t dare do that in case he crossed paths with Lance and suck him dry.

He didn’t know how far his restraint would take him. What if he killed his chiikoi?

Never. Lance was his chiikoi, even though he didn’t know _how_ that had happened. He was terran. It wasn’t possible for Galran’s to mate outside of their species. Right? Sure they may share the same genus with terrans. But…was it possible?

Were the strengths chiikoi’s shared with their mating possible for him and Lance to share? There hadn’t been any records of such an attempt. But Keith had to remind himself, his kind did not venture into other worlds, and many of her people died without their chiikoi.

Did that mean that there was a possible chance of having a chiikoi that came from outside of his planet? Did he even have a choice anymore?

And if it _was_ possible to fully mate with them, where did that leave him and Lance?

He shook his head, what was he even thinking? Lance was not someone he could continue mating with. He had hurt him, bitten him, and therein mated with him. If he didn’t drink from Lance then the bond _should_ ebb away from Lance. _He’d_ still feel it, still feel the pull, the need to be with him. But Lance was human. He couldn’t create such a bond with him, for Keith to need to take from him. Could he?

Keith needed to find out more. He couldn’t just stay here and pine after his mate through his minds eyes, watching as Lance moved, as he ate, as he slept.

He cursed at himself. He was acting like a stalker. But he needed to know, needed to see whether Lance was being affected by their bond. Could Lance feel him as well? Could he hear Keith in his mind?

His attention returned to the terran sitting in front of him. This woman would help him. If she was so fascinated by the technology that turned him into the shapeshifter, then she would definitely want to know more about him and his kind, and if she did, then Keith could make a deal with her. A deal for more information about just what Lance was feeling.

He could tell just how she was by the way she moved, the way she thought. Keith had been taught to read outside of what a person said. He knew this terran woman thought her work was important to her, he could tell she was interested in languages and cultures. It interested _him_ to know she was eager to learn about him, about his kind. She wasn’t a threat at all.

Keith needed this woman on his side. What else other than work did this terran have on her mind?

Turning his attention to his guard, he grinned. Oh. Of course, love. Maybe once he trusted himself enough to be out in the open with his chiikoi, he’d want to learn more about this planet. Maybe when he learned how to walk on one leg he’d venture out and see for himself.

A sharp shot of a sound came from outside the large glass window, causing everyone’s attention towards the lanai outside. Keith felt a familiar twinge shudder at the back of his spine.

He cursed that he wasn’t able to walk at that moment. With his keen sense of hearing he knew exactly what was happening around the house. Everyone had made their way through the house, trying to figure out what the sound was.

Keith was intrigued. He let out a deep breath and let his senses radiate to the house, to the dirt and sand outside, and then he saw it. He didn’t have the chance to appreciate the beauty of the planet his chiikoi was from. Because on the sand, emerging from the seas stood dozed of large mechanical being, gleaming menacingly in the starlight.

They looked so familiar to Keith, as if he had seen them a long time ago. He wracked his brain, forcing any memory he had of them forward. His eyes widened when he saw one of the mecha’s hail them. He stared in shock.

Angel’s… _he was still alive._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuunnn...  
> Oh, it's on now.


	20. Chapter 20

Shiro vaulted out of the kitchen door and onto the sandy lanai.

His feet sunk into the warm heat as he took slow steps towards the mecha men standing with their feet still in the cool sea waves. He growled when he recognised one of the men; saw the single circular visor on the top half of his face, covering one eye. His skin was a dark purple, but there was a black line that ran from the edge of his cheeks all the way up to his eye.

 _“Who are you, and what brings you to this planet?”_ Shiro stated, standing before the men, hands to his sides, his prosthetic arm glowing under the setting sun. When the Galran didn’t answer, he continued. _“You are declaring war against your king and the kingdom of Daibazaal. Withdraw—”_

“I do not declare war with the _king_ of Daibazaal,” The Galran’s lips grew wide, the black slits opening slightly as he smiled. Shiro was taken aback that this Galran knew the languages of Earth.

Lance stood forward, pushing the door closed behind him and Allura. He didn’t dare let any of his younger siblings see this. “What do you want?”

The Galran grinned. “You have the chiikoi of the prince. I want them both.”

The three on the lanai stilled. How had this man known they had Keith here? The planet was vast, and the star-chamber was dismantled and destroyed on impact to earth. Keith was supposed to be safe in a concealed house in the middle of the city. There were no scans, or anything that could decipher just where he was.

Lance's eyes widened. "Wait, did he just say  _prince?"_

Shiro cleared his throat, standing in front of Lance and silencing him, not wanting to give anything away. If this Galran knew they had such a treasure in their hold, he needed to tread lightly. He surprisingly did not know that _he too_ was a Galran – then again, not many people did. Everyone thought Shiro was an other worlder, even on Daibazaal.

“Who am I speaking to?”

“I am Sendak, creator of the sentries you see before you,” he motioned to the mechanical humanoid like creatures standing in attention in a grid like barrier they had created in front of the rushing sea waves. “I want both of the chiikoi’s or I will unleash hell on you and your mud ball of a planet.”

Shiro tightened his metallic hand into a fist, seeing the sentries start to gear up, moving into a stance and holding their guns steady at the three and the house. Shiro was quick to act, having already prepared for this kind of attack, he was ready with a shield surrounding the house and half of the lanai itself. The beach foliage was pushed back against the solid phase of the shield as it slipped down around them, creating a blocking barrier from them and the sentries on the sand.

He knew it wouldn’t hold for too long, he hadn’t expected _mechanical_ sentried to attack him. He twisted in a half spin, taking hold of Allura’s arm and dragging her into his embrace, blocking her from the tirade of bullets that rained down on them, only to clang dully against the barrier and ricochet to the ground.

He ushered her and Lance back into the house, and saw Keith standing at the stairs, holding onto Elena for dear life as she helped him down the stairs.

“Shiro!” He yelled, reaching out for his guard. “ _I heard him…he said both.”_

Shiro grimaced, _“I know,”_

What had Sendak meant by ‘both’? Two chiikoi’s? There was only one pure blood Galran, who was bonding with a human; one who was currently acting as a volunteer lodger in the house. There was no one else. What did—? Shiro let out a gasp when Keith took hold of his head, dragging him down to his level.

 _“You will listen to me!”_ Keith yelled, claws digging into where Shiro's ears would have been had he not been shifted into a human. His head throbbed, shocked at his prince acting so distraught.

“Yes, yes, of course,” Shiro cried, wincing when Keith’s claws retracted and his prince’s smaller body fell onto him, unbalanced from only one leg. Shiro fell back onto the back of the closest sofa, wrapping an arm around his charge, and another to his aching head. Angels, he remembered when his mother used to do that to him. It wasn’t that it hurt, he just hadn’t expected it after so long away from his home. He panted out a breath. Alert, the others in the kitchen area turned their attention to him. Allura was immediate at his side.

“ _They were the ones that destroyed our home, aren’t they?”_ Keith’s alarmed voice resonated through the house.

Shiro sucked in a deep breath and held his arm out to the others, telling them that he was okay. They couldn’t understand why Keith was so distraught, no one could.

 _“You shouldn’t be up, my prince,”_ He said, straightening his prince out on the ground. Keith would need to quickly learn how to stand on his own. They would need to prepare for an attack after all. _“And we cannot be sure Sendak is the one that destroyed Daibazaal,”_

“ _They said they were sentries,”_ Keith replied, his voice just as frantic. Shiro reached out for him, he knew what Keith was feeling, he was going through the same thing himself after all. _“I had intercepted one of my captives before I was…”_ he paused, a slight hitch in his voice when he spoke about his past. _“He told me about large mechanical robots that would roam the universe without a ship,”_

Shiro had known, of course he had known. He had remembered Keith’s father showing him images of the sentries, they had still been in production back then. He remembered the blueprints, the upgrades and the progress they had made. He knew the ins and outs of these creatures.

“They have an army aimed at us!” Lance’s voice rang out through the room, alerting the others to the doors, and to the solid blue barriers that were still strongly holding them safe inside.

Shiro was just grateful for the small miracle that Sendak and his army were only attacking them. Then again, the house was the only building for a few miles. This was a good place as any, without fear of civilians getting hurt.

But how long would that last?

 _“I don’t want anyone to die, please.”_ Keith pleaded.

Shiro mulled over everything he knew about the sentries. He knew how they were built. If they could use the chiikoi bond that Keith and Lance definitely had, then maybe they could radiate that energy to try and work to destroying the threat.

“No one is going to die,” He said out loud, hoping to calm everyone else in the room down, as well as his prince.

Keith, however, didn’t seem to want to listen to him. _“Shiro, either you kill me or let me leave from this place, so they follow me and leave the McClain’s alone,”_

 _“Nope, that’s not going to happen,”_ Shiro stated authoritatively. “I promised we wouldn’t harm you.”

“Harm?” Lance asked, making his way over to them, he grasped onto Keith until the alien was leaning onto him. “No one is going to _touch_ you, you hear me?”

 _“There has to be another way.”_  Keith muttered, he paused, trying to figure out a way that could help them. What could he _do?_ He was just a prince of a dead planet. He hadn’t strengthened his bond with his chiikoi to garner any  _powers._ All he had was himself, his guards and the boy he had bitten.

Quiznak…he knew what he had to do.

“ _The Balmeran’s,_ ” He said suddenly, grabbing onto Shiro’s shoulders and dragging him closer. “ _The Balmeran’s, they gave me the crystal, embedded it right in me on my birth,”_

Shiro knew of his plan, he knew what having the crystal within him could do. It kept Keith safe, it kept him alive at even the worst of times. It was how he had survived in the chamber for thousands of years. But its power could also prove disastrous.

It was pure quintessence after all. Supreme power.

Keith needed to see the situation, he needed to understand why he had to keep his strengths and powers under wraps. His abilities were new to the universe, even though they were ancient beings. If anyone else found out about him, found out about the almost unlimited potential of his powers, of his strengths, found that a small, absolutely defenceless planet harboured him. There could be wars.

People would kill for just a small portion of him – and indeed they had. They had torn the chiikoi Galran’s apart just for fortune when Daibazaal Prime flourished. With only Keith left, the only royal with pure blood, they would stop at nothing to continue.

If these sentries were anything to go by, Keith’s powers should not be exploited unless they needed to be. Keith would be their last resort.

" _Shiro I must do this,_ " Keith growled, balancing up on his single leg. _"I will protect my chiikoi, and my people,"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always liked to think Daibazaal was a lovely place before Zarkon's unfortunate far right reign. And that they were a pretty popular port for Balmeran's and the Balmeran crystals they needed with their technology.


	21. Chapter 21

Keith stood there, leaning heavily on his one leg, facing the many sentries on the beach. Their metal armour illuminated by the beauty of the setting sun. His gaze flittered to his chiikoi, who was watching him with awe as he tried to keep him steady. Keith didn’t want to give his position away; deniability was his best asset right now. He looked human; he could pass off as human; if he were careful with his speech and mannerisms – and the fangs and claws.

But what did that matter? They knew he was here. And in the thousand years he had been asleep, who knew just how advanced the Galran’s technology had gotten. He could probably scan through the impenetrable shield around the house. Keith had to hand it to them; the sentries looked magnificent, but deadly.

He had to focus. They were in danger, he had to protect the people in the house, he had to protect his chiikoi. The sentries started shooting at the house, lasers upon lasers hitting the pale blue shield, slowly breaking it down.

“The barrier won’t last for long,” Shiro said, awed at just how quickly his shield was falling against the onslaught. He grimaced as he tried to think of something that would keep it up and running for as long as he could. He needed to find a solution, and fast. He narrowed his gaze when he saw Keith staring out of the window. And he knew exactly what his prince was thinking.

_“We are not giving you to them,”_ He growled angrily, “I have some auxiliary power in my arm, it should power up the shields some more,”

Keith felt helpless. He couldn’t do anything but stand there, watching as his chiikoi and the terrans tried their best to come up with a way to save them all. Looking into the Mama’s eyes, he saw the fear rush through her, saw the way she held onto her children, Allura and Lance wrapping their arms around them all.

He had to do something. He had to help. They already knew he was here, they already knew he was mated. He’d sacrifice himself for his love in a heartbeat.

_“Guns will not penetrate them,”_ he said to Shiro, holding his hand out to the sentries. He could tell, even though they were made of metal, it was easy to get through their circuitry and understand their cybertronic bodies. He had remembered everything in those blueprints he had seen all those decades ago. _“They have many faults in their armour. One swift hit to their positronic brain will destroy them,”_

“Aim for the head, huh?” Shiro asked, awed at just how far his charge had come in such little time.

“Did you say ‘aim for the head’?” Lance asked, he turned to his brothers and grinned. "Alright, let's get armed up, Nico, get the BB's, mami, take Veronica and the baby to the back,"

Keith nodded, seeing as the others got straight to work. He was so proud of his chiikoi, but this was not their fight. It frustrated him that he could not explain just what he wanted to his chiikoi. He held a hand up to his head, wishing he could somehow meld his mind with Lance. But that was a by-product of their union, of their bond. It would help them truly understand each other. Language would no longer be a barrier for them once they joined.

They'd get to that later...provided Lance still wanted him after all of this.

He had to focus. He could see Shiro trying his best to try and reroute his own strength, his own power into the shield, keeping it up for a few seconds longer. But it was pointless for him to do so. Keith had already made up his mind.

He stood in the very centre of the room, leaning back against the back of the sofa, calling out the power of the Balmeran crystal sitting so deep within him, melted into his very essence, his very core. He grimaced at how weak he was feeling. His powers were still waking from their dormant state. Having been in cryo-sleep had really done a number on him.

He didn’t know if this would be enough to do what he wanted, but it was better than him not trying anything. The shield rose up to the front of the home, a brilliant blur of red against the star blue of the sky and moonlight. The red shield blocked the attacks, the laser bullets pinged against it and ricocheted away.

“Prince Yorak! You mustn’t!” Shiro cried, in awe at what he was witnessing. He had heard stories when he had first taken his prince as his charge, of how he was _tainted,_ different from the other Galran’s. How he had something inside him – other than the crystal – that could cause havoc, could cause riot, could end the very planet they stood on.

But to actually _see_ it.

The red was as thick as blood, as dense as it too. It blurred away the sentries. Shiro could _feel_ the power coming off Keith, saw the shield holding strong. But he knew it wasn’t enough.

The onslaught continued, doubling in effort, and Keith found himself falling to his knees at the torrent of lasers and bullets hitting him. His heart thudded madly in his best as he tried desperately to keep the shield up, but it was breaking.

“We need to do something, Nico, get the BB’s,” Lance yelled, watching in shock as the blood red shield started to crack and Keith crumpled to the ground, exhausted but still holding his shield up.

“Holding your power back, chiikois?” Sendak appeared at the front of the doorway, hands pressed up against the shield, lightning crackling sharply into his skin. “Tell me, _human,_ have you fucked him yet?”

Keith’s yellowing gaze widened. How _dare_ that filthy Galran talk to his Lance like that?

Suddenly, there was a humming sound, like electricity popping in the air around them. There was something sharp and harsh in the air, whizzing and mixing around, making every hair on Keith’s arms stand on end and his nerves twitch like strings being plucked.

Danger! You’re in danger!

_No…not him._

Keith turned to Lance and saw the crackling charge close around his Lance, like a hand grasping around the man. Keith watched, unable to do anything as Lance started _dissolving_ in front of him, his body breaking into tiny pieces, vibrating as they disappeared into the air.

“ _Chiikoi! No!”_ Keith screamed, what the hell was happening? He rushed over to the man, but before he had a chance to touch Lance, to stop whatever was happening, Lance disappeared before his very eyes.

Sendak laughed, loud and hard, a look of pure satisfaction on his purple, visor face. The black slit near his lip cracked hellishly, showing a wide smile and razor like teeth.

“One chiikoi down, just one more to go,”

Keith let out a scream of frustration, his gaze turned to the dozens of sentries before him, and his fingers clenched into claws. His gaze turned yellow, murderous. He focused his powers on the mechanical beings, watching in satisfaction as their very metal scrunched and crunched and melted into the sandy earth. Every one of their limbs were on fire, they had been seized, and frozen and twisted in utter agony.

Shiro watched, in awe as one by one the sentries fell. The only sound being the screech of metal against metal as they were literally being ripped apart before his very eyes.

“He’s killing them,” Allura said with a gasp. “Keith, you must stop, you’re going to kill yourself!”

Shiro’s gaze snapped to his prince, seeing the dark blackened red blood seeping from his nose, the corner of his eyes and the point of his lips.

“Keith, stop!” Shiro yelled, reaching out for Keith.

But Allura was to his side in an instant, holding a hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him somewhat. “Please, Keith, you’re won’t be able to save your chiigoi if you’re dead,”

Keith growled, looking up at the woman. Allura shuddered at the pure malice in those yellow and purple eyes. “ _Chiikoi,”_

He brushed his hands along the air and slowly the remaining metal of the sentries standing before them disintegrated like dust. Sendak was nowhere to be found, most likely having bailed as soon as he was able to. Keith fell to the ground in exhaustion. He had known it was stupid to use so much of his dormant powers, but he needed to kill what was in his way to get to his chiikoi.

His dark eyes narrowed to his guard. _“We have to find him,”_

Shiro nodded, taking hold of Keith’s arm to stop him from harming himself more. He let out a sigh of relief when his fingers fell loose, his claws retracting and his eyes turning back to a more human self.

Keith let out a long frustrated sigh, turning to the Mami and her soldiers. _“I will do everything in my power to find Lance, this I promise you,”_

Shiro translated for him, and the Mami nodded, seeing his intent, his determination. She had full trust that this man, this…whatever he was, would find her Lance.

“Make him pay,”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have been spending the past few weeks making a present for my best friend ObsessedAngel (check her out!) and I have really been neglecting writing.
> 
> But I am here, I have not forgotten. And I will do my best to get back into this.
> 
> I blame Game of Thrones, I have finally started watching it...

Lance felt like he was flying in the air…but he also felt like he was broken into pieces. It was a bizarre sensation, something he had never felt in his life. It felt like someone had put his body into a blender and turned it on high.

_…is this what dying feels like?_

And then, as quick as it had stated, it had finished. He felt his arms, his legs, his body all coming back together in one piece, sticking and sliding and slotting in until he was whole.

Fuck that was such a weird feeling.

“I’ve finally got you, little chiikoi,” A long, almost skeletal like hand appeared before him, a dark lavender in colour and furred at its back.

Dread filled Lance as he looked up that arm, seeing it thicken with muscles, and then up to that single red orb that made his eye, blinking fiercely.

Sendak.

He shivered with repulsion, feeling the cool brush of those fingers against his head, as if it were going directly into his mind. It felt like spiders scurrying over his face, a sickening, ticklish sensation that made his stomach turn. Then the sensation deepened, cold and sharp, long slithering tentacle like feelers reaching out deep into his subconscious, running through his thoughts, his memories, everything that made him who he was, flipping and slipping and moving them one by one, forcing him to throw up bile at the sensation.

Fang like, prickling deep, sensation so sickening. Lance felt like every single hurtful memory, everything he worried about, stressed over, every single flaw, was overflowing, disappointment, humiliation. It felt like Sendak was savouring his pain.

He didn’t know how long this lasted for, but he felt like he was going crazy.

“So human,” Sendak’s voice was icy as he spoke, like thick wisps of frigid air. “You aren’t mated to the pretty little _Yorak_ yet,”

Lance growled, he didn’t know what _Yorak_ meant, but he had heard Keith say it a few times. That must be what they called one another. But this wasn’t the time for that.

This was the time to resist; this was the time for him to fight. “You will _never_ have him,”

The frigid and frozen feeling was back in his mind, and Lance tried to think of good memories. He didn’t know where he was, or how long he had been here for, all he knew was that he was here now. And he would not let this alien get to him. He imagined walls around him, so high and so thick that no one could break through.

“I am going to enjoy breaking you,” Sendak’s laugh was light, but vicious. “Depend upon it, human. Your little prince is going to _pay,”_

And then, he was gone. Leaving Lance alone in the metal room, with the low hum of the ground below, shuddering through his body. Lance sagged in relief, nearly falling onto his back in his haste.

It had been a damn challenge resisting the frozen tundra surrounding Sendak. It felt like the alien had been forcing himself onto his mind, prying and prodding and sinking his icy fingers in deep. It had taken everything in Lance to stop that feeling from coming in, from going too deep. He felt like he had just swum lengths in the sea.

A few broken breaths later, he was back in the brightness of the metal room.

Sendak was at the helm, or whatever it was that played as the throne for this alien beast. He held a hand out to Lance, and that was when Lance noticed the many others standing in the room, tens of soldiers, sentries as Shiro had said, standing there silently, unmoving, unnerving.

“Kill him.” Sendak said calmly, “I wish to see the prince’s suffer a slow death,”

They moved on the command Sendak gave them, with such lethal grace, marching towards him, holding steampunk like guns to their sides, cogs and mechanics whirring in the metal casing.

“No!” Lance turned to run, but a large purple skinned man caught him. He was tall, yet svelte, muscular and broad, but he had this eerie beauty about him. He also had a face that was cat like, with hair that banded up to his pointed ears.

He reminded Lance a little of Shiro, and that was frightening.

Though this other alien was dressed in similar mechanical armour as Sendak, Lance could tell he wasn’t like them. There was something different about him, something… _warmer._

“Do not resist,” the aliens voice was low and breathy as he spoke. “If you want to survive,”

“Thace, what are you doing?” Sendak ordered. The one called Thace stopped, dropping Lance to the ground.

Lance growled, standing up straight and tall, his shoulders thrown back, eyes blazing. He forced the fear from his posture, showed no regrets in his stance. He was going to get out of here, he was going to make sure this asshole did not get anywhere near Keith.

He clenched his hands into fists. The thought of this alien, _this monster,_ on his planet, in his home, with his family, and with his Keith; it made his skin crawl.

He had faith in his family, and if he was going to die under this monsters hand, then he was going to die fighting, with pride, with honour. He would stay strong and take everything this monster threw at him while he waited for a rescue. Because…because if they were focusing on him, they wouldn’t be focusing on his home, on his family…

They wouldn’t be focusing on Keith.

Sendak’s single yellow eye widened, but his red orb darkened, filled with an evil sort of hunger.

Lance lifted his chin high, refusing to look away. Of course he was frightened; this was a new species, _aliens!_ Who knew just what this monster could do. But, no matter how bad the pain would get, it was worth it to know his family was safe…that _he_ was safe.

“Your bravery is going to kill you, boy.” Sendak hissed, his lips widened to a smirk. “I’m going to enjoy stripping it away; the prince’s screams will be so lovely when he finds out you’re dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BAMF!Lance, gets it from BAMF!Mami


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I'm not going to apologise once again for not writing as much as I should be (I've fallen off the daily writing wagon and the floor has accepted me as its master, and I'm not ready for a rebellion just yet)
> 
> But I will say that this is not over yet. I will do my best, and maybe I will return to daily updates. I just hope I can pull a good one like the other fics I write.

Lance was suddenly held back by two large sentries.

He tried struggling free from their mechanical grasps, but the metal arms did not budge. He turned quickly, forcing the hands on his upper arms loose. He grimaced as the metal cut through his skin, but at least now his arm was free.

He reached for his BB-gun, knowing it wouldn’t do much in this instance, but if he hit them on the head, at least it would push them back. Or so he hoped. He shot a pellet at the sentry. It hit its head, making a sizeable dent – which surprised him. But at least this way he had a chance to dash forward and reached for the weird shaped gun on the sentries’ thigh. Holding it up, he grinned and shot at the sentry.

A thick purplish pink laser shot out in a beam and hit the sentry to his left. The sentry stumbled back at the force, but the bullet ricocheted from his body. Alright, so that didn’t work either.

Aiming another shot at the second sentry holding him down, he struggled to free his other arm. The second sentry loosened his grip fell back. The phasers didn’t hurt them, but they stopped them enough for him to get free.

He vaulted up and rushed to the other end of the room, shooting again and again as the two sentries slowly got up, hoping one shot would give enough way for them to drop for good. The phaser powered down, needing to be reloaded. Lance growled and instead reached for his rapier – he was glad he had taken it alongside his BB-guns; video games had taught him well enough to be prepared for what to do when running out of bullets. The rapier was flimsy at best, but sharp. It had been his sisters, so he knew it was well taken care of.

He lifted the sword up and sliced it down through the mechanical metal, it hit the metal with an ominous clang, but slowly it slipped through. Sprays of back and pink erupted from the mechanical beings. He pushed on, putting his whole weight on his attack. It felt like slicing through thick butter, but the first sentry was down. Lance turned to the other sentry, rapier soaked in silvery pink blood.

“Stop.” Sendak held his arm up, his long fingers grasping the back on the sentry’s head and holding it steady. His dark claws tightened, his fingers cracking the metal of the sentry’s head. In mere seconds the sentry’s head was crushed.

Lance shuddered at the sight, but held his rapier steady in his grasp. Sendak held his hand up to Lance, his eyes glowing darkly. Lance suddenly felt like he had been submerged in ice. He tried to move, but found he couldn’t.

Sendak was somehow controlling him.

“No link,” Sendak’s murmur slid through Lance like a knife slicing his skin. He felt hot blood drop down to his eyes. “Haven’t fucked him yet, hmm?”

Lance narrowed his bloodied gaze.

“The human will have to be moved,” Sendak said, swishing his cloak behind him. Lance winced at the sound of metal clanging against metal. But he still couldn’t move. One of the two large guards took hold of his paralysed form and dragged him back. “He will come with us to the home world,”

“You want to take him back?” Thace frowned at the man, who set himself on the black metal throne, etched in glowing green runes.

“Yes,” Sendak nodded, the slit on his cheeks splitting when he smiled. His gaze did not glow quite as brightly as they had done before. It was odd to see someone like Sendak moving slowly, speaking with a little less vehemence. The captain was weakening, but the human was not wavering.

What kind of power did this species hold? How had he done this?

Thace supposed he ought to feel pity for Sendak, but since he himself had been the man’s main source of punishment, he couldn’t find it in him to care.

…what a fine specimen, this human chiikoi was.

 

The darkness was filled with pain.

Heated razor blades tore at Lance’s insides, sliced at his guts even as they scraped the inside of his ribs. Agony lanced his veins, like each cell was a shard of glass; thousands of shards, all driven around his body on their destructive journey by his heart. It sped up, slammed against his ribs as though it couldn’t bear to be in his chest a moment longer. He gasped, but his lungs were in on the conspiracy against him. Every breath felt like antifreeze and bleach had been poured down his throat.

Coughing, his body tried to get rid of the offending substance, in this case his entire lung, and he slowly became aware that he was being carried. A hard band was clamped around his waist, so tight it felt like it was cutting him in half. When he opened his eyes, his vision was blurry. He blinked to focus. Then groaned. He was being carried over someone’s shoulder.

Only for a second though, before the giant purple soldier ducked down and stepped through the doorway into a cell. He rolled his shoulder and heaved Lance off, dropping the human to the floor. Lance hit the metal and cried out, more pain heaped on the agony already invading every cell. Hot and cold chills raced over his skin as he curled into himself.

The soldiers laugh, low and chilling, rolled around the small cell. He turned to look out the door of the cell, still chuckling.

 

“We must go back to Lord Zarkon,” Sendak hissed. “I must inform him of my captive, we need more power.”

“You need more power?” Thace repeated, keeping his voice neutral, but inside he was happy to know that a mere human could do this to the captain. Whatever it was that he had done.

“You know that I do.” Sendak raged in a weak voice. “This human seems much stronger than he looks,”

“The humans are…different than the other planets you have ravaged.” Thace said blandly, though he was eager to investigate more. What had the human done but terrorise through two sentries, and fight back against Sendak's rule. Fascinating. “Perhaps you should have taken more care not to destroy your primary source of power so far from home.”

“You will do well to keep quiet,” Sendak's sunken mechanical eye glowed with a dull red. “The Chiikoi human will suffice for now. I _will_ have the prince, I _will destroy him,_ ”

Thace felt a flicker of uneasiness. Though he dared not show it.

Sendak rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “The prince’s terror when I kill his chiikoi in front of his very eyes will be such sweetness,”

Thace’s hands curled into fists. _Never! I will never let you kill something so pure–_ he frowned and pushed the thought away. It was no use trying to show his rebellion here, he needed to think rationally. However, that didn’t stop Thace’s chest from tightening when he imagined the human being slaughtered under Sendak’s hand. He could almost hear the screams of the Chiikoi's.

The prince would kill and be killed.

Thace bowed and turned to leave. But he couldn’t help throwing a glance over his shoulder as he descended the broad, black steps that led to the throne. Sendak seemed shrunken and depleted, stressed. But Thace could still read the malice in his eyes could still feel the hunger and dread emanating from him like a poisonous miasma.

Humans...that particular human...there was something about him. Something that scared Sendak, something that would most definitely scare Zarkon. It would only mean the human's death would come quickly, and that the prince would suffer the wrath of the current leaders fear. Thace couldn’t stop his jaw from clenching or his hands from curling into fists again. 

_Never,_ whispered a voice in his head. _Never again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some thoughts of regicide...to keep the people happy.  
> I blame GOT.


	24. Chapter 24

Using the remains of the chambers, both Keith and Shiro devised a very crude transporter. It would only work if the ship Lance had been kidnapped into was still close by. Keith wished to the Angel’s that was true.

If Sendak used a portal to warp speed out, they’d all be stuck without a plan, and Keith would die here, pining for an unrequited mating. It was cruel. Such sweetness was breaking away into pieces before him.

_“I think we can portal to Sendak’s ship,”_ Shiro said to him, pressing the buttons on his armour to bring out the mask and visor for space flight. It slipped onto him with such ease, such familiarity. _“Scans are showing Lance is on there,”_

I’m coming for you Lance, by the Angels themselves, nothing would hold him back.

With a blink of an eye, Keith was suddenly on a familiar looking ship. However, it was just as horrible as he suspected it to be. His nose wrinkled as he and Shiro were transported into an empty hanger. Keith reached for his mother’s knife, holding the hilt tight in his grip.

They waited in the shadows, behind the sleek and slick ships and vehicles, gigantic metallic birds that all looked so fantastical. There was no one around, but Keith could sense his chiikoi was here, he could feel the fear, hear the stress in his heart beat. If he focused on his senses, he’d be able to track each and every one of the sentries and destroy them for even thinking about taking his chiikoi. Break them into impossible pieces and separate them from their very –

“My prince,” Shiro’s voice broke through Keith’s little day dream.

He turned his head, shaking his thoughts away. He was starting to feel the anxious pull of being separated from his chiikoi, from knowing Lance was in danger. Angel’s, they weren’t even properly mated, and Lance was a human. But the pull was undeniable; knowing that he could feel Lance to this extent thrilled him.

He couldn’t bring himself to say what he was feeling. He had to be careful here after all, using his senses, his powers here. They were on enemy ground right now. Who know what kind of advanced technology Sendak and his sentries had concocted in the last thousand years.

“Keep calm,” Shiro said to him, holding his glowing prosthetic hand poised, it shot forward into a point. But Shiro’s gaze was steady of him, calculating. “We will find him.”

 

 

How long had he been in here?

He didn’t know anymore.

The hours were crawling along in the dark, metallic cage he had been imprisoned in. His arms were chained to the wall behind him, but thankfully the pain in his body was much duller now. Either he was healing, or he was getting used to the pain.

He wasn’t sure which thought he liked better.

He tried to focus his mind on something else, wanting desperately to forget what had happened, how he had felt so violated because of that man, Sendak. He tried to concentrate on the ship he was in, but it was no use. The only real piloting experience he had was back in school at the Garrison, and they hadn’t even tested real flights. All he knew was what he had done in simulations.

Hell, they could be anywhere now. No one would be able to find him here; he was going to die here, in this prison cell.

All because he had kissed a boy.

The cell door clanged open, making Lance jump in surprise. He looked up and saw the giant purple skinned man called Thace enter. His face was expressionless as he looked down at him. But somehow, Lance knew something wasn’t right.

“Why are you here?” he asked, heaving his heavy, tired body up from the ground.

“Get up.” Thace’s deep voice was charged with tension.

Lance narrowed his eyes, but stood on his feet. He watched as Thace unclasped his wrists from the chains. Lance wanted to run his arms over the raw red skin, hoping to quell the pain of the chains with pressure, but he didn’t move. Thace was the only person who could free him. He just needed to get through to the man.

His gaze never left the man. He growled low as Thace clamped one hand around his upper arm in a tight grip. “Where are you taking me?”

“Far away from here,”

“What?” he asked desperately as Thace dragged him out of the cell and down a long metal corridor.

Thace didn’t answer. The interior of the ship went by in a dull-grey and purple blur around him. Thace’s expression remained impassive but his eyes blazed. He glanced at Lance briefly as they rounded a curve and went through a low archway. “Here we are.”

Lance looked around uncertainly. They were in a vast room filled with ships of all sizes and shapes. Most of them were long and narrow and sleek. Thace chose a larger ship and herded him toward it.

“We’re taking the adjunct ship.”

“Do you mean to your home planet?” he asked as Thace dragged him through the echoing space to the chosen ship.

“I no longer have a home planet, no Galran does,” He said monotonously, placing his hand against the small space at the back of the ship. Lance watched in amazement and fear as the ship buzzed and the door slid open.

Galran…was that what Keith was?

“So, where are you taking me?” he asked again, getting as much information out of Thace as he could. Thace boosted Lance into the strange ship.

“Sendak grows weak because of you _human chiikoi,”_ Thace’s voice was tight as he pushed Lance to the back of the ship where Lance could see a holding cell. It looked much like the one he’d been kept in on the man ship except it was smaller—much smaller.

He turned to face Thace when the Galran would have pushed him into the cell. “Wait.”

“We don’t have much time. The captain will be here soon,”

“Just tell me one thing,” Lance said, trying to control his panic and keep his voice calm and level. “Why does he want me?”

“He will kill you for your chiikoi,” He looked down at Lance’s confused face.

His eyes narrowed. Was this human playing dumb? Didn’t he know the power he had being mated to the Galran?

“You and the prince are chiikoi, you have a profound and unfathomable bond,” He let out a breath at Lance’s blank face. Nope, this little human truly did not know. “With you dead, your mate will be too weak to fight. The prince will die under Sendak’s hand and he will take the kingdom, and rule the universe, starting with destroying your Earth.”

Lance had been afraid something like this was to be his eventual fate but he hadn’t allowed himself to think about it. Now, faced with the truth, he knew he could do one of two things—panic and give up hope, or save himself the only way he could.

“Why does it have to be him?” he asked in a low voice.

Thace frowned. “What do you mean? What are you asking?”

“I said, why does it have to be _him_ who kills me?” Taking a deep breath, he took a step toward Thace. The giant alien’s tall form levelled with his, but Lance had to look up to see him. He didn’t flinch when Thace’s yellow eyes bored into his.

Thace was his only way out.

“I don’t understand you.”

“You like my kind, I can take you to my people. To humans.” The words stuck in his throat, but he forced it out anyway.

Lance knew he was risking everything here. What if he was wrong? But he had seen something in Thace.

Thace was interested in him, in his kind. Especially to the word ‘chiikoi’, Lance could see his eyes light up every time he said it. Lance still did not know what that word meant, but he knew that it was the only real thing he had to save himself and his family.

He had been told that his instincts were like gold, he trusted them now.

Thace shook his head. Slowly, gently, he raised his hand and cupped Lance’s cheek. Lance’s skin was cool, cooler than his own warm heat. He smelled odd to, the scent of a human. It was warm and exotic. So alluring.

“There are more like you?” His deep voice was hoarse. “On…on your planet?”

“Yes,” Lance said patiently. “You can leave this place, be free. Be chiikoi with a human, or any other species.”

He hoped desperately that he wasn’t overplaying his hand but this was all he had and he would rather die than submit to Sendak.

Thace jerked back, taking his hand back as though Lance’s touch burned him. “You will take me prisoner and kill me.”

Lance swallowed hard. “We have the prince,” he said in a low, steady voice. “He is my chiikoi, I will never harm him, or you,”

For a moment Thace seemed to smile. Lance thought he might take Lance up on his offer. But his face twisted and he shook her head. “I have no need for a lover. I had lost that long ago,”

Damn it. Lance was losing him. Have to stay calm. In control.

Thace’s deep voice was cold but his eyes blazed. “Your kind have killed for less, you will not hesitate to kill me.”

Lance had to admit, even though Thace spoke about Lance killing him, he had yet to reach for the gun holstered to his hip. His body language showed he trusted Lance, but his words said different.

What had he gone through on this ship?

The sound of boots echoing outside cut him off. Lance looked toward the door in the side of the ship with alarm. He wished he had his sword or gun with him. He was nervous and weaponless. Looking around the ship he saw a large metal pole sticking out from under one of the large benches. It wasn’t really what he was used to, but it’d have to do.

“Be silent,” Thace warned in a low voice. “Don’t bring attention to yourself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What an odd place to stop...


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...sup?  
> So, my tumours back. And that means more time at the hospital. Yay...(!)  
> I have no excuses, sorry.

Shiro pushed open the door and ushered Keith into the large space that appeared to look like a set up for a laboratory. There was a large cylinder on one side that looked like a silver oil drum, pipes and wires and all sorts of things coming out from it and onto the monitors and panels on the walls. There was a short set of steps leading to the cylinder, which could only mean that some _one_ was supposed to go inside.

Keith was sure whoever that someone was, they did not enter voluntarily.

Though Keith had always loved the idea of going somewhere so otherworldly, this place just gave him the creeps. The hallways were empty and echoing, and everything smelled _medical._ It was haunting.

This had to be the place Shiro had told him about; where the bad people did all those horrible and frightening experiments on chiikois. It had to be, with how quiznacked everything looked. It must be awful to be trapped in a place like this, torn forcibly from your soul mate.

Shiro went to the control panels, pressing on various keys and moving boards and holographs with practiced ease.

“We are safe on the lower deck,” he stated as his hands worked. “I think I know where they’ve kept Lance,”

Keith really couldn’t take it anymore. Every waking moment without his chiikoi felt like decades. Why couldn’t they just go in there and get him? He pressed the heel of his hands to his eyes, trying to force back the sick and twisted feelings bubbling up inside him, ready to overflow.

Patience yields focus.

He opened his eyes to see Shiro looking at him with concern in his own. Keith shook his head, taking in a deep breath.

“I’m fine, let’s continue,” Shiro gave him a penetrating gaze; he knew just how hard it was for Keith to focus right now. Newly chiikoi were always in need to be together, it was hard to do anything else for them. They’d get better with age.

But they needed to focus. With the location at hand, they manoeuvred through the narrow hallways until they reached the ships hanger. Only a few more corridors and then they’d reach the jail cell chambers.

“Okay?” Shiro asked, keeping his words short and quiet, as not to call attention to them. He could hear his prince’s breath shortening, could feel him shudder. He held his gun to his side and turned and saw Keith nod to him. “We need to go down this hallway and—”

“What you need to do is turn around slowly and keep your hands where I can see them.”

The deep and frighteningly familiar voice behind them startled them. Shiro pushed Keith behind him. Keith’s heart pounded in his chest when he saw the familiar face of one of the Blade of Marmora members. They had been the Marmoran guards to the castle of Daibazaal they had been a division his mother had created to keep the citizens safe.

Shirkan…he was still alive!

Shirkan was standing before them, pointing a weapon at them. Keith really couldn’t understand just why this was. Didn’t Shirkan recognise him? He had been one of the first to become a Marmoran, one of the blades. He had been such a wondrous person, so kind and warm hearted, yet skilled with a sword.

Damn it, being without his chiikoi, knowing Lance was in danger; it was overruling everything else Keith could think about.

“Shirkan, it’s me…Prince Yorak, son of Queen Krolia of Daibazaal Prime,” Keith tried, hoping that Shirkan would recognise him. He _must_ know. “My mother made you into the first Blade member, don’t you remember?”

Thace’s eyes widened. This young man was speaking ancient Galran. He hadn’t heard those words being spoken for millennia. Who _was_ this man?

“My name is Thace,” Shirkan replied, “I have never been to Daibazaal, and I do not know you,”

Keith shook his head. Wait…no. That couldn’t be right. Shirkan…Thace? Well, it _had_ been decades since they had last seen of one another. This person probably was Thace, and he bore a striking resemblance to Shirkan. He must have been a descendant. But that meant he too had Marmoran blood running in his veins.

Though, right now, Thace was pointing a gun at them. He was a threat.

“What do you want?” Shiro asked, his voice a threatening growl, as he stood before him, creating an impenetrable between Keith and the threat.

“I could ask the same of you,” Thace returned, holding his gun steady. “You are uninvited on this ship,”

“Return the human and we will be on our way,” Shiro replied, trying to smooth the situation over without any bloodshed.

“I cannot do that,” Thace replied in the same diplomatic tone as Shiro. Keith peered from around Shiro’s body and saw Thace wave his weapon menacingly, pointing to the ship behind them. “Now drop your weapons and march into the ship,”

“What makes you think we will comply?” Keith demanded, gripping tighter at his gun and standing beside Shiro. “There are two of us and one of you, even if you shoot one of us, the other will kill you,”

“You will comply because I will not be aiming for you,” Thace replied quietly. And that was when both Keith and Shiro knew that Thace knew a lot more than he was letting on. Lance must be close.

“You quiznacking son of a bitch,” Keith snarled, taking a step forward. Shiro put a hand on his arm, stopping him. He had seen Thace’s wavering hold on his gun, the Galran wasn’t about to shoot them, otherwise he would have done so already.

Keith took in a deep breath; he knew his outburst was because of his growing need to be with his chiikoi. Damn it. Keith held a hand to his head, his blood was boiling and his powers were rising. It was taking a lot of him to push back the urge to kill everyone here and find Lance.

“Behold, a prince.” Thace replied, frowning at the two. “Lusting for his chiikoi, tell me, what would you do if I were to tell you just where your chiikoi was?”

Keith growled, feeling his teeth receding and his claws extending. “I’ll gut you right through if you so much as touch a hair on his precious head,”

Thace held his hand up in a placating manner, showing his gun to them, fingers as far from the trigger as possible. “I do not like such threats. I just wanted to be sure of you,”

“Sure of us?” Shiro sounded like he was going into rage. “What do you want from us?”

Thace gave them a level look. “I just want to talk,”

“Then talk,” Shiro growled. “I don’t see why we have to be disarmed to hear what you have to say,”

“My master will be coming,” Thace replied, ushering them to the ship. “I suggest we do this quickly. I urge for the prince to stay silent, he speaks ancient Galran and will be killed on sight.”

Keith narrowed his gaze. He understood what Thace was saying, but he wasn’t happy about it, not one bit. “What do you want?”

Thace’s features fell grim. “My lord is gathering his strength. Soon he will be too powerful to stop. If you wish to leave this ship with your chiikoi, you must listen to me.”

“We’re listening,” Keith assured him, his gun still held up to the man. He wasn’t going to take any chances, not when he was so close to getting Lance back. “What do you want to say?”

“Only this—I need your help to leave this place safely and I am willing to offer you mine in return if you’ll trust me.”

“And why can we trust you?” Keith demanded. Shiro gave him a look, and Keith knew he had to reign himself in. They couldn’t afford to call any more attention to themselves. They were on the bad guys turf now. One false move and Thace could call others, could call his lord, master, whatever.

“You are the chiikoi,” Thace replied, holding his gun out to the prince. He couldn’t believe this small slip of a thing was that human’s chiikoi. This small Galran had the power to overthrow his lord?

“Yes,” Keith replied, breath shortening. “We will save you, but I need him back, where is my chiikoi,”

Thace bristled. “I have him someplace safe,” he replied, adding quickly. “Not in a jail cell,”

“Can I see him?” Keith asked. Thace must know just how much Lance meant to him. He tried to be softer, tried to be more regal, more like the prince he was. But he needed to see Lance. “I need to know he is okay,”

Thace looked at him appraisingly, as if calculating their threat level. Seeing no imminent threat to himself or the human in his care, he nodded to Keith.  “It couldn’t hurt for the chiikoi human to speak to you, come with me,”

The two following the Marmoran in through a set of metal doors that led to a large room filled with sky gliders and space travellers. It was somewhat relieving for Keith to see the technology of his people here, still in working shape.

He felt a great surge of relief when he felt the warmth of his chiikoi getting stronger and stronger with each step he took. He hadn’t realised just how much he didn’t ever want to be separated from his Lance until that very moment. Their accidental mating hadn’t been finished, their bond was still weak.

He was afraid his own life would weaken with a human as his chiikoi, but the bond – though frail – was strong. Stronger than he had initially anticipated. He couldn’t help but let that thought bloom in his heart. He just had to get through to Lance, to complete the bond. But he felt like there was something holding them back, something standing in his way.

If only he could just find that thing and remove it from existence, then maybe…

“Oh, how fortuitous, it seems we have visitors,” The thick, hissing voice froze the three in their tracks. Keith shuddered, remembering that voice. Dreading at what he was about to see, but unable to stop himself, he turned his head.

It was him.

The very man that had jettisoned Keith into space killed his parents and had caused Daibazaal to fall. He was standing right there, standing next to four large sentries all holding guns in their direction.

Sendak.

The visor over his head hid those eyes, but Keith remembered that smile, glowing with eagerness and greed as he looked them over. Quiznack, they had waited too long. Now Sendak was here and they were trapped.

What were they going to do?

Keith felt like his very bones had frozen over. He had to think quickly. How was he going to get them all out of this now? Two against six was not a fair fight. But he and Shiro could take down three each, right?

“Secure them,” Sendak demanded, moving closer to them.

Thace waved his gun menacingly, though hoping and praying they understood what he wanted, and that they would not go against his desire to be free. “Hand me your weapons and keep your hands where I can see them,”

Shiro and Keith exchanged a look and lowered their guns, dropping them to the ground and holding their hands up.

“You came for the chiikoi, humans?”

Sendak made his way to them and in that moment Keith was glad both he and Shiro still had their glamour on. It seemed the Galran did not recognise them, not with the way he was looking at them.

“They came to take him away,” Thace replied, still keeping his gun pointed on the two. He hoped they would trust him. If they all stayed calm and kept their heads about them, they might get out of here alive.

“And they have found him, haven’t they?” Sendak replied, hand shooting out to grip at Thace’s neck, tightening his hold.

Thace kept his breathing steady, calm. If Sendak found out this was the prince…well, he didn’t want to know just what would happen.

“I will kill the human and the _quiznaking prince,” Sendak_  hissed, looking directly at the two. “And then the whole universe will fall under my control,”

Thace wanted to kill him – to break through that stupid visor, crack the armour and snatch out his very heart – provided there was one there – but he kept himself in check. There wasn’t anything he could do now. He was too big a threat for just him.

Keith raised his chin and looked at Sendak squarely in his eyes. Thace could see he was quaking a little, nauseated at the scent most likely. There was something so dreadful about Sendak, a palpable horror that followed him wherever he went, permeating into everything around him.

Shiro held a hand up to Keith, stopping him from his current tirade. They couldn’t have him speak, not right now. His language would get them into trouble.

But Keith didn’t stop; he had learned a few things in his short time on Earth, so he levelled himself, raised his chin and growled. “Leave him alone,”

Thace shuddered; the foolish prince was trying to save him!

“Ah, I do like humans with spirit,” His long hands reached out to Keith, pressing a thin claw along his cheek, caressing blood out of the small slit he created. “The human chiikoi had the same spirit; it will be fun breaking you both,”

Keith flinched back ever so slightly, but he did not break eye contact with the giant man. _“I will save Lance and destroy you for even trying to take him away from his chiikoi,”_

“Oh, you speak the language,” Sendak chuckled; the sense of glee radiating from him irritated Keith. “You and the prince must be so close,”

Keith could do nothing but watch. The muscle at the side of his jaw clenching so hard he could feel his teeth grinding together, his fingers turning to fists, nails leaving thick welts on his palm. He couldn’t do anything here. He felt like he was being torn in two as he watched Sendak, the man who had taken his family, his home, his chiikoi.

He noticed Thace looking at him, nodding at him as reassuringly as he could. _Trust me, I will keep my promise._

Thace must know how desperate Keith was right now. He was losing to his natural instincts, closing himself from everything else except for finding his chiikoi. That was what they did, those wonderful bonded chiikoi. They would go through hell to find each other. It was such a magnificent concept, to give their all to one another.

But, therein lay the problem. Thace had been here for decades, and he had heard the stories passed down from the older generation. The very power of the chiikois when they were together was almost infinite. Separated, they would rip through the universe to find one another. He could feel the prince’s anguish, his helplessness. He wasn’t able to do anything here, too caught up with wanting to find his chiikoi. If he used any of his powers, one slip up and Sendak would know who he was. They’d be killed on the spot.

The prince trusted him, Thace realised. It felt like someone had stabbed his heart. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, his prince still trusted him. He swore he would not betray that trust, even if it meant his death.

Long live the Prince.

“Bring the chiikoi human,”

Keith felt his heart sink as Thace marched away from them. He could feel the Galran faintly, like he was whispering. Keith was desperate to know what he was saying, what he was going to do. But if he used his skills, his powers, Sendak would find out.

He only just got away with the skin of his teeth at his slip up before. He wasn’t going to do that again. Frustration worked overtime, threatening him with tears. But he would not show weakness here, not to Sendak.

Shiro held Keith behind him, protecting him. But Keith felt Lance in his mind before he saw Thace bring him to the area. His heart swelled with relief, but his anger grew when he saw just how bruised and bloodied Lance looked. His fingers clenched to fists as Thace gave Lance to Shiro.

How dare they hurt him! How dare they hurt his Chiikoi?

“Lance?” Shiro asked. “You okay?”

Keith couldn’t not help himself from worrying. Oh, his poor chiikoi needed to be healed by his hand. Keith knew Lance would not understand his words, but at least he understood their intent.

Lance nodded, leaning heavily on Keith.

_“How dare they?”_

Everything suddenly stopped, silence projected the room. Sendak stood still, almost frozen. The four sentries surrounding him were just as still too. It reminded Shiro of robots that had been switched off. What was going on with them?

He could feel heat emanating from behind him, from Keith. He gasped, Keith’s eyes were completely gold, fingers taught into claws, gripping Lance protectively with one hand around his body and the other held to his side. His fangs were extended, looking like weapons that wounded and killed.

He looked scary.

Thace sensed the change and tensed up. His eyes were wide, and he was poised for something, like a signal, or a word.

Then Shiro said, “Now!” and everything happened all at once.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your lovely comments.  
> It makes me feel a whole lot better! 
> 
> But enough about me. You're here for the fic. So   
> On with the show
> 
> This one will touch up on Marmorans, and what the hierarchy is. More will be explained as the story goes, so don't worry if you're confused now.

Something was off, Keith noticed.

His heart had settled when he had finally seen his chiikoi, his Lance. But the bruises on Lance’s body and the pain seizing through him made him pause; a big black ball of rage grew deep in Keith’s stomach.The need to destroy those who had caused harm to his Lance erupted.

_How dare they?_

“Get out of the way!” Shiro shouted, pushing Lance and Thace away from the prince. Keith sprang forward, teeth bare, mind clouded and his eyes seeing red.

“Please,” Thace grabbed Keith’s arm, holding him back. But it was too futile; the prince was far from gone. “Before they wake up, you must leave.”

Shiro jostled Lance in his arm and reached for his communicator. They had to find a safe way to get out of here, and soon. He shot at the large mechanical sentry’s body, seeing the bullet ricochet off it. He aimed another shot for the sentries head, seeing it falter back.

Quiznak. He had to get the prince and Lance out of here.

“Stop them!” Sendak screeched. The four sentries around him raised their guns and started shooting.

Keith was in front of them in a flash, he held his hand out in front of him, feeling his powers flowing outward like a tidal wave, engulfing them all, shielding them from the onslaught of bullets that came seconds after. The lasers and bullets bounced off the shield, pinging and singing uselessly as they fell to the ground. Shiro responded, shooting through the shield and aiming for the sentries heads.

Thace couldn’t help it; he felt the drag of his lord’s words, the power of his master’s command, as he never had before. He wanted to turn, to take the prince and his crew and carry them away. He fought back the urge to kneel at Sendak’s feet.

His lord was cruel.

“ _Stop this right now, son of Marmora._ ” He heard Keith yell in a language he had thought was long dead. Pure Galran, ancient and graceful. A language so old that it made thousands of long forgotten memories return to his mind in confusing snippets.

His mother used to sing to him in ancient Galran.

Thace froze, his eyes widened in shock. He had heard stories of Galran’s killing their own kindred to save their chiikois. It shocked him to see the prince, one whose mind was so clouded with rage and hate, calling to him. The prince knew who he was, knew _what_ he was!

His chiikoi in trouble and the prince was able to define the blood running through Thace’s veins, see that he wasn’t like the other Galran’s, see that he was Marmoran. Thace could feel the immense bond between the two chiikoi. But to be seen as important enough for the prince to push his need for his chiikoi aside to see Thace?

His prince was truly amazing.

“Bring them to me,” Sendak was calling him back, forcing his will to go back to him, luring Thace to return to his living death, an existence of pain and madness and never ending suffering and agony.

Keith’s eyes darkened. “ _Do your duty as Blade, Thace. Protect my Chiikoi,”_

The pull of his prince took precedence over Sendak’s hold on him. It rang through like a bright light in the darkness, calling Thace back to his rightful place. His thoughts returned to forgotten memories, memories of his father standing before a younger him, his voice deep, echoing.

“You are Thace, son of Marmora. You will take your rightful place as protector of the Chiikoi’s.”

His father had left him, passed on into the stars, leaving him all alone. Leaving him to be taken by Sendak and his sweet words of revenge. But today was finally the day. Today he was going to prove to his father, prove to his people that he was the son of Marmora. He was a protector. He would do his duty. He would protect the last Chiikoi’s if it meant his life.

At the thought of the Chiikoi’s beside him – being slaughtered in such a way – it went against everything he held dear. What his father had died for. Thace felt something growing inside him, a rage so fierce it was like a red curtain dropped over his vision, tinting everything in a bloody crimson.

He turned to face Sendak, his hands clenched at the gun, his gaze never leaving Sendak’s one real eye. “You will not have them,”

Sendak’s voice dropped to a hiss. “You dare to defy me?”

The tone would have once made Thace tremble, but this time he had more to fight for. Rage and a power of his own filled him, something savage that had been sleeping and had only just started to stir, suddenly woke fully within his chest.

“I will die before I let you have them,” he felt the words leave him and gloried at the sense of rightness it gave him. His heart, so long a cold and shriveled lump of darkness was glowing now, like a beating star, a supernova. He was alive in a way he had never been before. Alive and filled with emotions he had been suppressing for a lifetime.

He was a Marmoran; he was a protector of the Galran royals, a guardian for the chiikoi’s. He would defend the remaining chiikoi’s until his last dying breath.

His prince’s mere word had made him feel like this. It was awe inspiring.

Sendak growled, he pulled the trigger of his gun, seeing the laser bounce off the shield Keith had created. He didn’t notice Thace do the same, not until he felt a shock of pain on his chest.

He looked down and saw the blood, staggering back onto the wall.

“Get out, now!” Thace yelled as the guards started their rain of bullets once again. “Do it—”

But whatever Thace was going to say was suddenly cut off when a massive hand reached through the shield and yanked Keith right from his feet.

Keith gasped as the hand spun him around. He looked up and up and up…into the face of Sendak, except this time his eyes weren’t blank, they blazed crimson with malice.

“Die, sweet little prince,” he hissed, a knife appeared in his grip, a tiny one, so small it looked like a toy in his large hands. The blade was strange, black and many sided, and the tip was a bright yellow. “Die slowly, and know that the kings ruling ends with you,”

It all happened so quickly that Keith had no time to react. His arms seemed frozen in place. Somewhere to his right he heard shouting as the tiny sharp knife came down, the shining, deadly point coming closer and closer, slicing cleanly through the meat of his cheek.

And then Lance barreled into Sendak, knocking him to the ground. The knife flew out of Sendak’s hand. Keith tried to see where it went, but then he was knocked over too, his legs pinned under a tangle of bodies.

He hit the ground hard, knocking all the wind out of him. Ah…can’t…breathe.

Gasping for air, he blacked out for a minute.

When he came to, Lance was kneeling over him, a worried expression on his handsome face. Behind him, Sendak’s body was lying completely still, a blade sticking out from his chest, gleaming with blood.

Was he finally dead? Keith struggled to sit up, but two large hands pushed him back down gently.

_“Are you alright?”_ Shiro asked.

_“I’m…I’m fine,”_ he replied, breathlessly. He rolled onto his side with some help from Lance and propped himself up on one elbow, still trying to catch his breath. He winced at the stinging in his cheek. He put a hand to his face and his fingertips came away bloodied.

“That asshole hurt you,” Lance growled, slipping Keith’s hair back to inspect the wound.

“Quiznak,” Thace whispered, there was real horror in his voice. Keith already knew what the Marmoran was going to see but he couldn’t help looking away.

Gripped in his fist was the tiny, sharp dagger that Sendak had been aiming at him, the one he had sliced his cheek open with. The yellow tip was stained with blood—his blood.

“It was poison,”

“We need to get out of here now,” Shiro cried, lifting his prince into his arms while Thace was helping Lance, together they made their way through the hallways and corridors, back to the entrance of the ship. He didn’t care for the sentries, shooting them and pushing them back.

As soon as they were off the ship and onto warm sand, Allura and Elena were there, rushing them into the house. Allura took Lance from Thace and ushered him and the others to the bedrooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> {gasps in Spanish)


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, guys.  
> Radiotherapy and chemotherapy really sucks. I'm telling you all this now.  
> I pray all of you never have to go through this kind of shtick, and if you do/have/are, then I feel your pain.
> 
> I love you all, and your comments have given me hope and life.  
> Thank you for reading!

Lance was cold.

Frozen. He felt _f-freezing!_ Wha…what the hell was happening? Where was…where…where was _Keith?_ He was shuddering in Shiro’s arms, feeling like he was deep within frozen tundra, unable to breathe, unable to think. His muscles felt so stiff. Why couldn’t he move?

What was happening?

His mami had noticed him shivered and bundled him up in the warmest blankets they had, rubbing her hands up and down his arms, but it did absolutely nothing to help him. He was still frozen. He couldn’t feel his leg, his fingers weren’t moving. His head was pounding.

Oh god.

Wait.

The sweat dripping from the side of his brow down to his cheek and chin made him pause. No…it wasn’t _him_ who was frozen. No…

He pushed himself away from his family’s hold and rushed over to Keith. The alien was leaning heavily onto Shiro, body wracking and breathing harsh, as if he were fighting for air.

Lance could _feel…_ he…he could _feel it!_

“Keith…Keith!” He gasped. That was when he scented it, a weird, foreign and downright sickening scent that made him want to hurl. It was so strong, easy to pick out in the air, but under it, he could make out Keith’s scent, so light and delicate.

Something was wrong. Horribly so.

Lance slowed, his gaze never leaving Keith’s wavering body, the sound of his harsh breathing hitting deep into his gut. It held a note of terror that stripped away everything in Lance but the ever present need to protect. Oh god, Keith…there was something wrong with Keith.

Without a thought, he launched himself at the alien, taking him from Shiro and into his arms, turning him until they were face to face.

“What happened, _carino?”_ He called out softly, but Keith didn’t look at him, curling in on himself. “Don’t hide from me. Tell me, where does it hurt?”

_“I should not stay here with you, chiikoi.”_ Keith’s voice was harsh and heavy, like he was completely broken when he spoke. _“I’ve caused such pain to you and your family, I must leave,”_

Lance may not have understood a word Keith had said to him, but he _felt it._ Deep inside, almost like a whisper of a voice. Something within him that was translating the words, in broken familiarity. But even though that helped somewhat, he could understand the words in the way Keith curled up in on himself, shuddering and shivering, barely able to keep his balance on his single leg. There was blood seeping through his bandages, and his skin was paler than the silvers of moonlight.

His eyes were half closed, as if he had trouble keeping them open. But Lance saw they were turning a faint yellow in the corner, pupils dilating. Dios, his breathing was so rapid. Lance could feel him getting colder and colder. He called for his mami and took the blankets she had handed him, his mami rushing over to the man and bundling him up as snuggly as she could. Lance reached for him, holding Keith’s precious face in his hands.

Ay dios.

Had he _really_ been poisoned? Lance had stupidly, _foolishly,_ thought Keith would not be harmed by that small knife. He had gone through so much already and had come back alive. Why was Lance so stupid to not see this straight away?

_Keith_ was the one that was cold, frozen and shuddering. Keith was…was he dying?

Everything inside Lance seemed to have stopped, dead. The thought of Keith not being there had made everything dark. His lips curled back and he fought the need to kill that asshole all over again. Just breaking his entire body and stabbing him straight through had not been enough for the pain Sendak was making his chiikoi go through.

“Come on, _dulzura,”_ Lance tried, dragging Keith into a hug, letting his lethargic body take solace and comfort from his own. Dios, he was so cold. “Show me your pretty eyes,”

Keith looked so small and delicate right now, huddled in the covers, hooded by the pink and peach plush, wrapped up tight in Lance’s arms. He looked like he’d break in two with as much as a hard gust of wind. His dark hair surrounded him, obscuring his face, his eyes still half lidded. But those eyes, _dios,_ they were drawn, terrified, so full of fear that the pretty purple colour was almost swallowed up.

Dios, Lance felt the hot rush of blood through Keith’s veins draining out, leaving pale skin and sunken eyes. Ay, Lance was terrified out of his mind. He really didn’t know what he could do. His own body was aching so, but adrenaline filtered through him, jolting him to move.

He tried to provide some sort of reassurance, willing Keith to get better with just his words. “Stay still, _dulzura,_ you’re going to be okay, _”_

Keith nodded, as though he understood the words and clung closer to Lance. Keeping his movements slow, Lance lifted Keith up in his arms, ay; Keith was so much lighter right now. His gaze was wide and dark as he latched onto Lance, panting, and heart beating as rapidly as a bird’s. The fear in his eyes twisted Lance’s heart into tight knots.

He saw something move in the corner of his eyes and he hissed at it, growling and holding Keith tighter to his body.

“It’s just us, Lance,” Shiro’s voice was low as he took a wary step forward and hunkered down. He knew what was happening; Lance was feeling the bond, the need to protect. The trauma they had both been through had kick started their needs. All Lance could see now was him and his chiikoi. Everything else was a threat.

Lance didn’t say anything, but swallowed, his body tense as Shiro got nearer. He knew Shiro was not a threat, but instincts ruled over him, his whole posture was ready to fight for his chiikoi, or flee with his chiikoi safe in his arms.

“Don’t worry, mijo, you’re safe now.” Elena added, extending her palm to her son and pressing it to the top of his head. Lance sunk into it and it seemed to have brought him to the present.

He tugged Keith a little closer to him as he stood up, trying to keep his movements as smooth as possible. He didn’t want to freak any of them out. He wasn’t sure what was happening to him either. All he knew was that he had to keep Keith safe. _Protect your chiikoi._

Curled up in the safety of his arms, Keith fit perfectly against his chest. But he was burning up. Lance carefully jostled the precious load as he stood. Keith’s fingers reached up slowly, pressing up to the bite mark he had left on Lance’s neck.

Electricity arched through him at the touch. He gasped; the air stolen from his lungs as something inside him surged forward, pulling towards Keith. His gasp was matched by Keith’s own. Keith’s eyes darkened as he looked up at Lance in shock, and then his head rolled back in his head and he folded up into a dead faint.

“Shit!” He caught Keith just in time, hauling him closer before they both hit the ground.

Shiro held onto his back, propping him up. Allura was by his side, touching his forehead. Lance had to bite back a snarl. Allura shot him a look, her hand in mid-air as her eyebrows rose. Lance nodded, unsure of where all of this possessiveness was coming from.

Could it be the bite, or was it something else entirely?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance is feeling very...possessive...  
> ...I wonder why...
> 
> What's going to happen with Keith?


	28. Chapter 28

Allura’s brow snapped tight as she brushed the back of her hand over Lance’s temple.

Lance bit back a groan of annoyance at himself. He should get himself checked out as well. That whole _thing_ was something else.

“That’s one hell of a temperature,” Allura stated, “We need to—”

“No!” The snarl burst free before he could stop it, anger spilling over him as he glared at his sister. “We need to get Keith to a hospital or something,”

“Okay, calm down,” Allura stumbled back, her hands out to the side in the universal gesture of surrender as the others watched Lance wearily. He looked dangerous, like if anyone tried to take Keith away from him, there would be bloodshed.

Keith whimpered, moving fitfully in his embrace, and Lance’s anger was chased away by concern. He flicked a glace up to his oldest sister and sighed heavily.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.” His grip tightened on Keith, hoping to keep him steady and still. “I just…I need him to be okay,”

Elena wrapped her arms around her son and dragged him and Keith close to her, patting him on his head, in a motherly bout to soothe him. “It’s okay, mijo; we understand how much Keith means to you,”

_Oh, she didn’t know the half of it._

She reached out to touch Keith, not before casting a glance at Lance, as if asking for permission. He nodded his consent, watching carefully as his mother and his sister checked the unconscious Keith over.

Elena turned to her son, taking a look at his injuries and getting one of his children to bring some water.

Keith moaned, trying to move away from Allura’s touch. It made something inside Lance heat up, he clenched his teeth. This was his sister, she wasn’t hurting him, she was making sure he wasn’t injured.

He really needed to keep this feeling in check.

“Take a look at this,” Gently, Allura turned Keith’s head to the side to reveal marks against the pale moonlight white skin of Keith’s neck. His lips brushed Lance’s bare shoulder, his shirt having been torn during the scuffle with Sendak. His breath punched out of his chest at the lightning that fissured through him.

Allura reached out to peel one of Keith’s eyelids back

Lance froze, that pull he’d felt when they had first touched, when they had first kissed, it was slowly starting to make a sick sort of sense. Like something inside of him was fascinated, felt a kinship with Keith.

His heart beat faster, despite his fear. He looked up, caught Allura’s eye and read the truth there. He saw Allura’s slight nod confirming it.

“They’ve poisoned him,”

At her words, Keith gasped, eyes wide as he arched his back, his spine in a hard curve. Lance was forced to change his stance to hold onto the alien. Keith’s heart was thundering, mouth open as if he were trying to suck in breaths and failing to do so, and then he stopped.

“We need to get him to a bed, now!”

They moved fast, Lance carrying his precious burden easily, not wanting to hand him off to any one of the others, even though they had all offered. Instead, he kept Keith close to his chest. Every shudder that wracked his body, every whimper that escaped those lips, it tore at Lance's heart.

He turned to his bedroom, shifting Keith higher in his arms so that his head rested on his shoulder. Lance crossed the room in three quick strides and laid Keith down gently on the empty, still ruffled from when Keith had gotten up and out of the bed before, bed.

“There we go, dulzura,” he murmured, trying to arrange Keith as comfortably as possible. Keith whimpered, reaching out for him, as though the loss of Lance’s body against his was too much to bear.

Lance didn’t let himself think, he just reached for Keith. Anger followed hard on the heels of that thought. That Keith had simply been someone so easy to kill for some asshole. Like he was a second thought. It pissed him off on a level he had never experienced before. A loud crack sounded like a gunshot in the small room. He looked down to find his fingers buried deep in the ruined mess of his bed railing.

Keith turned in his arms, as though he could sense Lance’s anger and sought to comfort him. His hands stroked over Lance’s shoulders and chest in small, placating movements. A soft murmur escaped his strained lips, brushing softly against the side of his throat. Arousal slammed through Lance for the second time that night.

Keith wriggled, clamping tighter around Lance, at the sound of his beating heart. His fingers gripped at Lance’s flesh, grounding him back to reality. The sensation of it dragged a moan from the depths of Lance’s chest, a groan that quickly turned into a moan of utter need when Keith’s sleepy tongue brushed the skin over his jugular.

He dropped his head back a little, exposing his throat.

Allura’s keen gaze dashed to the two of them, eyebrow winged up, but wisely she didn’t comment on what was happening.

“We need to find out what they injected him with,” Shiro said softly, leaning one broad shoulder against the doorframe. Though he looked jittery and worried, like he wanted to rush over and cradle them both to him, to protect them from the harsh world out there.

He kept his distance, knowing just what was happening to Lance. He would need to explain this all to them both eventually. But they had bigger things to worry about right now.

Lance shifted Keith in his arms, looking down to his pretty face. The light caressed the delicate lines of his face, with a touch as light as any lovers. He reached to stroke his fingertips over Keith’s cheek, ay, his skin was so soft. He instantly knew he’d never get tired of touching Keith.

He knew he had a knack for being the romantic one, it was impossible not to be when he saw the way Keith’s long eyelashes curved and fluttered against his pale moonlight skin, the way his small, up-tilted nose was set above lips he suddenly found himself unable to look away from. Ay dios, their sensuous full curves teased him, filled him with curiosity. He had tasted them before, but what would they taste like when he finally made Keith his?

“You need to leave and let me and Allura work on him,” Shiro said through a frustrated breath.

Lance was scaring his family. He knew this, but he did not want to leave. However, he would not deny the truth of his words. It didn’t take Lance long to slide the sleeping Keith from his lap and settle him more comfortably on his bed. Keith murmured in protest, as if he was aware of Lance’s intention to leave him, and reached for him.

Lance sucked in a hard breath as that feeling hit him straight in the gut again. He fought the need to stay.

“I won’t be long, dulzura,” he promised, leaning forward and tucking Keith into his covers. As soon as he tucked his sheets under Keith’s chin, the prince calmed down, wrapping himself around the fabric with a sigh of contentment.

His scent.

Allowing himself a look and a small smile, Lance stood away and watched as his sister and Shiro got to work.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, its a short one this time.  
> My chemo is taking more and more out of me, and making me super tired all the time.  
> But we'll get there soon!

Lance woke up with a crick in his neck. Grumbling, he wriggled to find a comfortable position, but his bed wasn’t co-operating. Overnight, it seemed to have changed configuration so that there was a hard board down the top and one side. With a sigh, he flipped on his back.

Was he back in a cage again? Was everything that had happened to him a dream? Had he not seen a star crash into the sea, had he not saved an alien, had he not _kissed_ that alien?

Wait…no… he had. He could feel the pull, the heavy tinge of _something_ tugging him to the alien. Like a thread. Where was he? Why had his chiikoi not come for him yet?  Did he not care for him? Did he intend to leave him here to rot?

Wait…what was he thinking?

Something soft flopped over his face. Was that his damn pillow? Fighting a wave of irritation, he moved to grab it and throw it as far away from his as possible, but paused halfway as the most delicious scent washed over him.

Ah…chiikoi.

A moan escaped him and he grabbed the source, holding it to his face as he breathed in deeply. So rich, with such sweet undertones. It was a treat for his senses, one so beguiling that his mouth watered. Opening his eyes, he looked at what was in his hands. It was a bundle of cloth.

Frowning, he unfolded it. Not cloth. It was a shirt, a _familiar_ shirt.

Memory returned. Nightmare images and pain assaulted him. He remembered agony slicing through his body and fire filling his veins as pain like icy razor blades clawed at his insides.

He…he had been kidnapped.

Through it all, he heard a man’s voice in his head. _His chiikoi…_ Keith’s voice as so deep and reassuring, Lance had latched onto the sound to help him through the worst of the pain. Keith had held him. Strong words supported him when he’d thought his own body was trying to kill him. Gentle fingers brushed his hair back from his face when the slightest touch had felt like a brand on his skin. Even the pressure of his own clothes had been almost too much to bear, but somehow Keith’s skin was cool. Soothing.

The nightmares faded to a dull roar in the back of his mind the more he concentrated on the memories of Keith. He focused on the jacket in his hands again. It belonged to Keith. The delicious scent... that was his as well. Lance clutched the scrap of fabric to his chest like it was the most precious thing in the world. Which it was, to him. Until he found him. But where was Keith? Although Lance couldn’t remember anything since he’d been attacked, there was no doubt in his mind that Keith had saved him.

How though? How could one man face sentries and survive? His breath caught in his throat as sudden fear assaulted him. Keith had been poisoned. What if Keith hadn’t survived?

He sat bolt upright in a rush and looked around, finally taking note of his surroundings, they were familiar. He was back in his own room. He closed his eyes in relief.

Consciousness returned in fits and starts. At first Lance couldn’t move. A prisoner in his own body, he just lay there and went with the ebb and flow until he became more aware. He lay on his back, the warm comforters under him. The insides of the lids scratched across the surface of his eyes, and he winced at the sound. Loud. Loud. Too loud. In fact, everything was loud, from his breathing to the steady, slow beat of his heart. The sound fascinated him as he listened to it. One beat, then the next. The next. He frowned. The time between each beat was getting longer.

Was he dying?

But, try as he might, no panic attached itself to the knowledge that his heart was slowing. Instead, he looked up and studied the ceiling above his. It was a brilliant white, yet he didn’t feel it sting his eyes. He tried to croak out a shout, to attract attention if anyone was here, but no sound emerged. Just a dry, dull wheeze. Great, he sounded like a set of deflated bagpipes.

The memory of something sharp slicing into him made him gasp for breath. He fought his own muscles where they had locked into place. No, not locked. They weren’t tight; they were lax, like loose rubber bands. He closed his eyes and controlled his breathing. He remembered Sendak’s assault on him. Had the blows damaged him somehow?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind though, he dismissed it. He could feel the warm cotton covers over his skin. If he were paralyzed, he wouldn’t be able to feel anything. There was nothing wrong with him, but it was like the signals weren’t getting through for some reason.

That wasn’t as concerning as the darkness he could feel circling in his blood like a shark. Predatory. Aware. Something so bright that hadn’t been there before, but was strong. In desperation, he reached for it, and it welcomed him. _Chiikoi. Ay dios…_

A gasp whispered over his lips as it spread out in his bloodstream, sank down and infiltrated every cell in his body. With the darkness came a new energy, and he turned his head just as the door creaked open.

Keith’s scent washed over him and he froze. But wait…it wasn’t him.

“You’re awake.” It was Shiro. And he did not look happy. He looked so scared, and so worried. And it hit Lance like a freight train.

Oh no… _“Keith!”_


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...chemo and hair loss is a thing.  
> Upwards and onward!

Keith felt his heart was slowing down, his body relaxing. He could move, but his body felt sluggish. Just like it had felt when he first ended up on this odd planet called Earth. Whoa...his head was not cooperating with him right now. It felt fuzzy.

Whaaat…was happening?

He didn’t notice his chiikoi burst into the room, but he sure as hell felt his presence like a welcoming heat on his skin. Lance pushed the door open and like a whirlwind, he rushed around the room, standing at arm’s length away from Keith. He was too far.

“ _Hey chiikoi…”_ His blood pulsed, increasing, electricity arched between them. He smiled, showing his fangs to his mate. _“You came to see me,”_

Lance was saying something, but Keith smiled wider when he sat on the bed next to him. Keith wanted to reach out for him, to bury himself as deep in Lance’s embrace as he could. His thought process was scrambled; right now all he cared about was getting closer.

Lance had found him, and right now, nothing else mattered.

Pressed up against him like this, against that hard, warm, muscled heat of him, the nightmares of the last few millennia fell away. Regardless of how he’d felt about the one who had attacked him, the deep, visceral hatred was absent. Instead, his mind was quiet, no longer hysterical, as though the very action of Lance’s hands moving up and down his back soothed the beast inside him, putting it to sleep. Keith moaned at the sensation, content to just stay here.

“You doing okay? I thought they poisoned you,” Lance’s voice was low as he spoke, pushing himself away.

Keith pouted. He was comfortable exactly where he was, thank you very much. He swallowed hard, a thrill running down his spine. Angel’s, his chiikoi was gorgeous, tall and broad shouldered. Such oddness, such litheness. He had muscles, but they were nowhere near as defined as his own were. But the feel of him, the look of him, Keith almost quit breathing altogether.

Other than Lance’s scent, Keith’s memories were scattered, fragmented. Power, strength, gently touches. A deep voice and a pair of kind eyes that were like the pools of water he had crash landed on. Keith felt like he could drown in them. All that put together in the man that was before him was absolutely devastating.

A sudden heat and need hit hard, bringing him to his knee right there and then. Had he not been on the bed, he’d have fallen for sure. He shook his head and backed up. He wasn’t about to throw himself at his chiikoi, not when they were barely… Then again, he had never felt such an intense, visceral need before. He was desperate to crawl all over Lance and find out what every inch of his skin tasted like.

No. No, he had to focus. Sendak had been here, sentries had surrounded the house. He needed to figure out what to do now. He needed to clear his head a little so he could think.

Lance said something again, something that sounded sweet. His nostrils flared, picking up the scent of Lance hung heavy in the air. His gaze captured those water pool eyes, dragging down to his pert nose and thick lips, they were moving as Lance spoke, but they made his mouth water at the memory of feeling them against his own.

His gaze darted back up to Lance’s eyes. Yes, he could just about concentrate if he just didn’t look at Lance’s mouth. If he didn’t think about the kiss…he didn’t miss the little smile that flirted at the edge of Lance's lips. That man knew just what he was doing to him. He fought back the smile that tried to crawl over his lips. Sass. Even with his world turned upside down, his chiikoi still had sass.

Keith moved, brushing a loose strand of dark hair from his face. His vision was so much more acute now, so he caught the fine trembling of Lance’s hand when he reached for Keith. He frowned. Watched his chiikoi closely. The more he did, the more noticeable the tremor in Lance’s limbs and the forced element in his smile became. Okay, perhaps he wasn’t doing as well as Keith had thought he was.

Was Lance _scared_ of him?

 _“I’m not a threat. You have to believe I will not hurt you,”_ He knelt up, stalking on his knees towards Lance. He grimaced a little at the pain on his severed leg. For a moment, he questioned who the predator here was, and who was the prey?

A few minutes ago, he would have said hands down that he was the predator. After all, he was stronger, faster, and a lot more powerful. But right now, with the way Lance was looking at him, with such wonder and care…he wasn’t sure the playing field was stacked the way he remembered it.

But Keith didn’t stop until he was barely a breath away from Lance, looking up into his face and studying him. A little line creased Lance’s brow, and his lips pursed into a sexy little bow. Keith bit back a groan, wanting nothing more than to lean down and claim those lips for his own. He managed to hold off and met Lance’s gaze. What did Lance see when he looked at him? A man or a monster?

Those lips curved up at the corners as Keith lifted himself to look Lance in the eye. Not a tall man – he was always so short compared to the other Galran’s – the increase in height from the bed made little difference. He wavered a little, putting a hand out for balance. Lance captured it, letting the shiver as they touched race over his skin.

Keith's hand was delicate, fine bones beneath satin skin that was so fragile. He bit his lip, white teeth mangling the plump fullness Lance ached to claim, and his control slipped. Hand under his, Lance place it in the centre of Keith’s chest, over the steady and slow heart beat. Keith’s gaze flickered to their joined hands, and then up again.

Lance leaned down and grazed his lips over Keith’s. The gathering darkness around them added to the feeling of intimacy, and right at that moment, he couldn’t have cared less if they were the only two people left in the world. Keith’s lips were as soft as he remembered, and warmer than he’d thought. A lot warmer.

Keith whimpered, the soft sound in the back of his throat so sexy that Lance wanted to imprint it on his memory forever. Keith lifted his lips, as though begging for more, and Lance’s control shattered. Reaching out with his free hand, he caught Keith around the waist and yanked the smaller man towards him. His lips crashed down over Keith’s. Hard. Hungry. Demanding.

Oh. My. God.

The moment their lips met, Lance knew he was lost. Whatever Keith was, human or not, it didn’t matter anymore. His kisses were hard, but soft. Heat warred and Keith opened up for him. He growled in approval, the deep sound doing things low down in Keith’s body that should have been illegal, and moved closer.

Lance wrapped him up in his embrace, strong arms surrounding his smaller body at the same moment his tongue drove deep. Keith slid one hand up around the back of his neck and matched him kiss for kiss. Their tongues duelled in a wet, slick ride of pure sensation as Lance held him cradled against his chest.

He didn’t care what Keith was; only that he kept kissing him the way that he was. That feeling inside him swelled, surging through his veins along with a deep, visceral need the likes of which he’d never felt before. Lance needed him. Wanted him with a craving so deep it should have frightened him, but it didn’t. It felt right.

Shifting in his arms, he ran his hands across Keith’s shoulders. Solid muscle met his explorations, solid and unyielding, all covered in silky skin that was a little warmer than he expected. Lance’s skin warmed as he explored, as though the heat followed his touch. He felt Keith’s fingers dig into his skin, nails scoring deliciously, electricity rushing through those fingertips, making him feel all sorts of good. Lance hadn’t noticed Keith’s claws scoring his skin, not until Keith burst back, tearing their lips apart and pulling his hands up in the air.

_“Oh Angel’s, I am so sorry!”_

The rich scent of blood blossomed in the air. Huh, Lance hadn’t even noticed he was bleeding. It hadn’t worried him at all…in fact…he kinda liked it.

“Don’t worry about it.” He shook his head, pulling Keith closer to him.

Keith shivered. _“There’s blood. I cut you. I hurt you!”_

“I’m starting to understand that look,” Lance breathed against Keith’s lips, teasing the corner with his own. “You didn’t hurt me, I’m fine. I liked it,”

And just to show how much he was okay with all of this, Lance used a thumb to tilt Keith’s head up. His lips grazed over Keith’s throat. Keith moaned again, way more vocal than Lance had ever heard him before, Keith looked like he wanted to roll over like a cat and show Lance his stomach in submission.

“ _So, you’re okay with being my chiikoi? You want to complete the bond?_ ” Keith swallowed, the sound raspy in the silence of the room. Lance’s tongue brushed the hollow at the base of his throat, and heat overruled, his hips grinding against Lance. He knew what he wanted, and that was Lance, filling him. Now.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” Lance admitted, his voice hoarse. The hand not holding Keith jaw swept down her back to cup his ass. Strong fingers dug in. Not enough to hurt, but more than enough to have Keith gasping and squirming against him.

Lance hauled him closer, trapping his hardness between them so tight it must have hurt. “It’s…I don’t know. I feel it, and it calls to me. Makes me want to take you…claim you. Make you all mine.”

Keith bit his lip, soft gasps tumbling from his mouth as Lance worked his way along that collarbone. His thumb traced along Keith’s jaw until his fingers burrowed into the thick fall of Keith’s hair, cupping the base of his neck. Lance moved, looming over Keith again to look down into his eyes.

“Is this what chiikoi means?” he asked, but didn’t let Keith go. The heated shadows in Keith’s eyes kicked Lance’s arousal up another notch.

He would have continued, had it not been for the door suddenly opening behind him and the following words of; “Nope! This is not what I wanted to see,”

_What the hell was Hunk doing here?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed to write a kiss to make me feel better.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My internet is being squiffy at the best of times.  
> Sorry...

The door closed with a quiet thud behind them.

_Hunk?_ What was Hunk even doing here?

He was going to get up, wanting to go to his best friend and explain just what was happening. He couldn’t imagine just what Hunk was thinking, coming into his best friends’ room to see him making out with someone – and a boy for that matter.

Lance always told Hunk everything that happened in his life, and that definitely included potential lovers, and the fact that Lance was _no longer straight._ That was a huge thing to not keep away from his best friend. Then again, he was only like this because of Keith.

Speaking of Keith, he smirked at the warm feeling that flooded into him. Keith was holding onto him, tight against his body, and he was growling, a low and deep guttural sound, right in his ear. It was…hell, it was _extremely hot._

Lance was slow to let him go, not that Keith was making it any easy for him. It felt like he was convincing himself that letting go of Keith was the best step for right now. But it was damn hard to push himself back. But dios, was it so cute the way Keith pouted, hair spilled out in a dark halo on the pillow around his head, his pale bottom lip wobbling a little as he made little grabbing hands around Lance’s head, clinging onto his short hair in a bout to tug him closer again.

Lance understood his neediness. He was feeling the loss of Keith’s body against his own as well. It was almost a physical kind of pain, like a throbbing deep inside that he knew would stop once he had his hands on Keith somehow. Gritting his teeth, he fought the urge to follow through with his thoughts, the ones that were screaming at him to lean back down, to cage his chiikoi to the bed and kiss the very life out of him, and keep going until they were both lost to the universe.

What was happening to him?

He pulled all the way away, forcing himself to do so. It felt nice to be able to lean on someone, even if just for a little while. He was able to do so with his family, he never kept anything from his mother, but this was something different, a kind of connection he felt deep inside, something that surpassed time and space, language and gestures.

They just sat there, side by side, shoulders bumping, knees knocking, in the growing darkness. It was nice. They didn’t need to speak, they didn’t understand one another anyway. But they didn’t _need_ to. It was a weird concept. This…oddity he felt inside him. It was hard to describe, but it was…it was like there was another heart beating alongside his own, like there was another soul twining with his own. No, not another soul…it was like his soul was finally _complete._ Like the heart beating alongside his own _was_ his own. Just, fuller, better, whole.

He had always been a little afraid of the dark, of the silence, a holdover from childhood terrors, dreams that gnawed at his waking moments. Living in a large family always made it so there was a light on somewhere in the house, glowing embers in the night sky. There was always sound, pattering of bare feet on wood, the sound of something bubbling in the kitchen in the early mornings as his mami cooked, the drone of the television in the middle of the night as his papi watched the news or huddled with one of his kids and watched a movie.

He dwelled in that sound, revelled in it.

But right now, sitting next to Keith in the middle of their bed, he welcomed the quiet and the darkness. He felt safety and comfort. It eased something deep into his soul, snapping it together into this _massive_ thing right in the middle of his chest, spreading out all the way to his fingers and toes.

He hadn’t even bothered to get up and see Hunk, not that his friend was not on his mind. He could hear Hunk downstairs, talking to his mother and family, most likely about what he had just seen.

Ay dios, he was going to get an earful from Hunk later.

He was interrupted by the quickening pace of Keith’s breathing, and everything inside him suddenly was on high alert. Instincts told him to reach out for his chiikoi, to hold him close and tell him that everything was going to be alright.

He paused. This was an odd feeling.

_“I need to explain everything to you,”_

Keith was saying something, speaking out into the air, not looking at Lance. He was whispering to himself, but then his eyes turned to Lance. Oh wow, what eyes they were. They were flashing darkly in that otherworldly purple, the sclera yellowing in his worry. It made him look more and more exotic, more and more alien.

_“How can I do this? You don’t understand a word I am saying,”_

Though Lance didn’t know what he was saying, his heart seemed to understand. And right now it was telling him to reach out for Keith, to hold him close and find a way to wipe that sad expression from his face.

_“How can you love me if you don’t even know what’s happening to us?”_

But the ominous tone of his voice and the tortured look in his eyes made the words dry up in Lance’s throat. Whatever he was saying, whatever he had been through, it had left a scar on his very soul.

Lance shuddered, the memory of Keith screaming as he cut off his own leg to save himself rushing through his mind. He had hurt himself in a way that seemed so paralysing, just so he could save himself. He had sacrificed his entire being just to get away.

Would he…would he be able do something like that for them? Lance didn’t think he could. They were just two different souls meeting.

“How…how is your leg?” he asked, placing a hand at the space by his bandaged knee. He still wasn’t sure about the whole Keith being poisoned thing. He had been sure Keith had been poisoned. He couldn’t really _tell_ anything had happened, Keith still looked like Keith, if not a little more tired, a lot more lethargic. His movements were slow, not as concise, and his claws were out, as were the pretty little tufts of purple that made his alien ears.

Maybe _that_ was what the poison had done? Turned him into this hybrid creature, half alien and half human?

Would he stay like this? Or would the poison ebb out of him in just a few hours? Was alien poison the same as human poison?

Instead of answer, Keith must have misinterpreted what Lance had said. Instead he reached for Lance’s hand, placing his own pale clawed one over the back of his own. He leaned forward, his palm sliding up Lance’s arm, rough his shoulder and across his chest. A soft gasp escaped Lance’s lips, causing Keith to lean in closer until he they were face to face again.

Lance looked into those darkened eyes, watching his face as Keith pulled away a little, a teasing smile making its way to his pouting lips. Lance moaned softly, neck arching sideways almost submissively.

Keith’s teeth sharpened and he let out a happy sigh.

_“My prince, we need to speak,”_

Dios, they couldn’t catch a break could they?

Keith hissed, like a cat, his long bat like ears drawing back and his sharp teeth bare. He didn’t like the interruption either it seemed. Lance held back a chuckle.

“You too, Lance. We need to talk about this,”

Shiro’s voice sounded much more prominent, and much more demanding, and Lance knew they couldn’t stay in this room forever. It was a slow movement, but they pulled away from one another.

“Uh oh, he sounds angry,” he grinned, taking Keith’s hand and dragging him up from the bed. He knew Keith was definitely experiencing pain in his severed leg, what with the way he hissed and looked down to his knees. Lance couldn’t imagine how much it was hurting him, and yet his chiikoi barely made a peep about it. He was probably holding it all in, the silly, sweet boy.

Without another word, Lance dipped down and scooped Keith up in his arms. Keith let out a kitten like mewl, arms circling around his shoulders and tail wrapping around Lance’s waist in a bout to keeping balance.

Wait…tail? Keith still had a tail?

This was going to be difficult to explain to Hunk; that was for sure.

Shiro met them at the stairwell. He gave them an unimpressed look, muttering something to Keith in that language Lance didn’t understand. Keith’s arms wrapped tighter around Lance’s neck and Lance grinned, whatever it was that Keith had said, he was going to agree. They made their way down the stairs and into the living room.

He had to explain everything that was happening, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What kind of poison is this?
> 
> And what will Hunk think of all of this?


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing to say...  
> ...enjoy!

Shiro wondered just how these humans got to where they were in the universe if they couldn’t comprehend such a simple concept. But he could only blame himself. After all, he hadn’t properly explained the very meaning of the Chiikoi situation at all.

Soulmates was too fantastical a concept for terrans and humans.

Though he was more than elated his prince had found his chiikoi, he couldn’t help but think this was going to be a tough relationship. Lance was not Galran; he did not understand just what he was getting himself into. Though he himself could feel their bond forming, slow and steady, _strong._

It made him smile, however.

He ushered the two chiikoi’s down to the living area, and made his way over to Allura who was sitting on the sofa, speaking to Hunk in a low voice. The large Samoan had his hands crossed over his chest, listening intently as he tried to understand just _what_ he had seen.

His prince was looking more and more like a Galran. Had the sphere not worked? Or was it something else that was making him look like this?

“How could he not tell me? I thought I was his best friend,” Hunk said to Allura simply, his eyes watering a little. He flourished his hands out and grabbed onto Allura’s shoulders, dragging her down. “Did he think I would break out friendship if I found out he liked boys?”

“Oh, mi mijos! You’re both finally awake,” Elena’s voice travelled through the room.

Hunk turned to them, getting up and making his way over to his best friend, giving him a once over. He looked at Keith then, seeing those purple ears and the tail, and those eyes and he gasped.

“Wh…” He paused however, seeing just how tightly Lance was holding onto the man, the blaze of heat in his eyes, as if he expected Hunk to dare say something.

“You were just going to hide this from me?” Hunk said instead, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t care if your gay or bi or whatever, _dude!_ I thought we told each other everything, and your mami tells me you’ve been with him for months? _Months Lance?_ ”

Lance’s harsh demeanour fell, he looked crestfallen. “Hunk…I—this wasn’t—it all happened so fast and I…I’m sorry,”

Hunk cocked his head to one side, wanting to say more, but his attention was drawn by the man in his best friend’s arms. There was definitely something they were hiding from him. It didn’t take a genius to know that the man was not of this earth.

“Oh my god, an alien!” He grinned, taking a closer look at Keith; his eyes were wide, like a child looking at something so much more interesting – then again, _hello, alien!_ He reached as far as he would allow himself to, tilting his body this way and that as he commented on what he saw, his mouth running a mile a minute. “Oh man, proof of extra-terrestrial life outside of our own, how awesome! How are you able to breathe here? Your body is so lithe, but so _human._ I hadn’t expected that. You are a _he_ right? I mean, not that I’m gonna judge, but hey, that tail could be something else. Oh my god, you have a _tail!_ And those ears! And those _teeth._ Is he light or heavy? Does gravity effect the way he moves – oh, he only has one leg, is that _normal_ for his kind, oh god, I don’t mean to be rude, one leg is just as awesome as two, but there’s blood, did you lose your leg? When did you get here? Have you always looked like this? You look so _human. But those ears!_ I want to pet them so bad, how long is your tongue, are your organs in the same place…”

Lance rolled his eyes, moving passed his friend as he continued to ask question upon question to the man, and heading to the sofa. It wasn’t that Keith was heavy – he was as light as a bag of sugar. Lance knew he could easily hold onto Keith all day if he needed to, and not break a sweat. But he could tell Keith was getting a little flustered, he probably didn’t like Hunk staring at him like he was specimen.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Hunk replied, as he followed the two and sat back down on his seat opposite the alien. “It’s just… _wow,_ who’d have thought eh?”

Lance nodded, placing Keith carefully down onto the sofa, making sure to keep his leg elevated on a cushion. He could feel a twinge of pain in his own leg, like a phantom hand squeezing at his thigh, and knew that this was just the remnants of pain Keith was probably feeling.

His poor chiikoi.

Keith looked up to him, those purple gold eyes penetrating his own. His heart beat thudded, pounding hot blood through his body. He let out a long, shuddering breath. He needed to calm down. Even though his entire body was telling him to lift the alien in his arms and kiss him breathless again.

Hunk was leaning over the table, looking at Lance like he was waiting for him to answer something.

“Huh?”

“Your abuelita was right,” Hunk said suddenly, causing Lance to pause. “I always thought Galran’s were a story, but he looks just like she described them,”

Lance narrowed his gaze. Galrans? Why did that word seem so familiar? And how did _Hunk_ know that word?

Hunk waved his arms almost dramatically in the air as he spoke. “Your abuelita used to tell us the story about purple cats from space, don’t you remember?

Purple…cats from space? Lance narrowed his gaze, watching intently at Keith, trying to remember the story. It was fuzzy, he remembered that it was a love story, of a space cat that had crash landed on earth and fallen in love with a human. It wasn’t his _favourite_ story – he preferred the story about the lions flying around in space, not the cats – so he didn’t really remember much of it. But his mind thought otherwise, sinking into the horrors of the story.

Galra…thoughts rushed into his mind almost immediately. His abuelita was always so dramatic. He had never believed a word she had said. Who would believe a story about purple cat like aliens in space and how their entire planet had turned against them, how they had tried to escape, only to land in the hands of an insane person that put them through horrible experiments, dissecting innocent cats, just to see how they were different, how they were the same. The story had been so horrid, so _vivid._

It had made him weep. His mother had told his abuelita off for telling him something so scary that had made him cry.

He would have never thought that story was real.

Watching Hunk come closer to Keith, he couldn’t help but feel a lot more protective of his chiikoi. He narrowed his gaze and shuffled into the space right next to Keith, feeling so much better when Keith instinctively leaned towards him.

“My name is Hunk,” Hunk introduced, almost getting up on the table as he made his way around it to kneel in front of the alien. He pointed to himself. “Hunk.”

Keith narrowed his gaze, giving Hunk a once over. He looked up at Lance; _“So the large yellow ones are called Hunk? By the Angel, Shiro, are these their names?”_

Shiro had to hide a chuckle behind his hand. He cleared his throat. _“Yes, my prince. These are their names,”_

Keith raised an eyebrow and copied Hunk, pointing to himself. “ _I am_ _Prince Yorak, but my chiikoi has given me the name Keith,”_

“Uhhh…okay, so…” Hunk took a moment to let the language compute in him.

Keith rolled his eyes, pointing to himself once again, the same way Hunk had done, and the same way Lance had introduced himself. Terran's were so simple here. “Keith.”

“Oh, Keith. Right. That’s a…very human name,” He tilted his head to one side. “He sounds almost…Korean?”

“That’s what I said!” Lance grinned, slapping at Hunk’s arm. “And there’s like some Russian or something in there as well right?”

Hunk nodded, whispering almost quietly. “I bet you we can make like a lexicon or something, like a language codex?”

Something warm, like a finger, stroked up Lance’s spine and pressed directly to the back of his head. Lance shivered, gaze dropping to Keith. This was a new feeling.

“Lance, _what is this yellow man saying?_ ” Keith said, calling his attention – not that Keith didn’t already have a majority of it. But the way he said his name, in that accent – such a _different_ one to what he knew. He wanted to hear Keith say it again, say it when he laughed, murmur it when he was shy, pant it when he was under him, sweaty and whining so cutely.

Keith looked distressed, and Lance wanted to know why. “ _Back away this instance, Hunk. You are getting too close to him,”_

“Oh, he said my name!” Hunk cried, leaning in closer to Keith, like a child wanting to look at a kitten in a pet store. He has such a bright smile on his face.

Lance knew Hunk didn’t mean any harm, but something bubbled inside him, increased his heart rate. Maybe it was the chiikoi thing, maybe it was the blood he had sucked from Keith’s warm flesh, or maybe it was just _him._ But something inside him had just snapped, merging with his soul, interlocking together in a sort of tessellation. It screamed through him, making him feel like everything around him was a threat to his chiikoi.

He forced his hands up and onto Hunk’s chest, thrusting him back. Hunk stumbled back, catching his footing. The push wasn’t that hard, but it still caught him off guard. He looked up to Lance and saw his eyes had turned dark, his teeth bared in an animal like snarl. He looked like a feral beast.

Lance snapped out of it almost immediately, eyes wide as he reached for Hunk. “Oh my god, Hunk, I am so sorry!”

Oh god, what was happening to him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Hunk...he's such a precious little excited ball of fluff.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chemo can go f*ck itself.  
> My poor hair must suffer the consequences.

It wasn’t an easy thing for him to consider happening to him. This thing, whatever it was, that was happening to him.

His heart had mellowed by quite a lot when Hunk had finally stepped away from Keith, sitting back on the table and leaning on his arms so he was a little further back. With each centimetre he was away, Lance’s breath slowed, and his heart didn’t feel like a jackrabbit thumping madly in his chest.

Fuck…he needed to take a step back from reality and really consider what was happening. He had recognised the feeling inside him, it was the same feeling he got whenever his younger family went out at night, when they were in danger, when they were threatened. Though this feeling was a good tenfold more than that, it only proved to him that he thought Hunk; sweet, innocent, I wouldn’t hurt a fly, _Hunk_ was a threat!

He barely knew this man, this _alien_ sitting next to him, grasping onto his arm and holding it tight as he said words – words Lance _still_ did not fully understand, though something deep inside him was able to grasp at the tone, the intonations, the _meaning_ without actually needing to understand just what was being said.

And wasn’t _that_ a trip on its own.

In the back of his mind, all sorts of thoughts appeared, ranging from sweet things like Keith is just a poor, stricken, friendly, vulnerable alien who had crash landed on their planet and is only looking for a way to survive the harshness of a new _world,_ to, Keith is using some kind of mind melding, pheromone inducing _something_ that is making them all fall into the whim of thinking he is _good,_ while in actuality he is eating away at them, ready to annihilate the world in one fell swoop.

Sendak _had_ been insane. 

But, if it were the latter, and not the former, the pheromone whatever thing he was using, why was it only happening to him?

Lance had barely touched him when they had first met, just gotten a sniff of him really, and from that moment, he had wanted to do nothing but protect. Hell, the guy was _purple_ and all Lance had wanted to do was hold him close and pet his adorable ears.

Maybe the pheromone thing was real, and it was just a Galran sense of survival, like the way octopuses released ink when they wanted to ward off predators. If that was the case, then why was it only _him_ that was affected by it? Allura had been just as close to Keith as he had been – sure they hadn’t _kissed_ and Allura hadn’t drank his _blood, -- which was another thing entirely! –_ but it still stood to reason.

Lance had been smitten from the first time he had looked into Keith’s yellow eyes, when he had seen Keith look so _frightened._ He had wanted to save him from the monsters.

“So, this is just some kind of _thing_ then,” Hunk said slowly, leaning even further away from Lance and Keith. He turned to Allura and Shiro, spit balling his ideas with them instead of with Keith, like he had been doing before. "Is it like imprinting or something?"

"It..." Shiro paused, trying to figure out the best way to answer a question that had eluded him sometimes as well. How could he explain just what it was Lance was feeling, just what it was that drew him and Keith together. It wasn't just some simple thing of pheromones, or whatever, this was on a cellular level, it was like everything that made him what he was was yearning for Keith, wanting to touch him, to taste him, to be with him.

Keith’s grip only tightened on Lance, and Lance felt the small claws dig faint marks into his bicep – it wasn’t a bad feeling and it only fueled his previous thoughts. He turned to the man and gave him a small smile, seeing Keith do the same, though he seemed a little more strained.

“No…it’s not just a thing,” Lance answered in all seriousness. He opened his mouth, wanting to explain just _what_ it was, but it was difficult. Hell, Lance didn’t understand what he was feeling, and if what he was feeling was _real._ This was going way out of hand.

Allura swooped down between them, lightning fast. But Lance had seen her move, instincts broiling, the word _'threat'_ rushing through him. He wrapped an arm around Keith, dragging him up until he was almost sitting on his lap. Allura gave him a look, one that she always gave him whenever he acted brash or flirtatious to others, it was her ‘don’t be an idiot’ look.

“He’s bleeding,” she stated calmly, pointing regally to his leg.

The bandages were soaked with patches of starry red, the edges frayed with how much he had been moving around. They would have to find a way to help him actually manoeuvre around without having to lean on someone.

“We can’t take him to a hospital,” Shiro said slowly, stopping Hunk from whatever it was he was thinking, and settled down on the space next to Keith, examining the leg. “There must be something we can do. _You can’t protect yourself or Lance this way,_ ”

Keith’s gaze narrowed, a growl escaping his lips. “ _What do you suppose I do? Want me to use quiznaking aids instead?”_

“That’s not actually a bad idea,” He turned to Elena, giving her his best charming smile – not that he needed to actually do anything other than look at her, Shiro just had this otherworldly way about him – which explained a hell of a lot considering he wasn’t _human._

He said something to her, but Lance hadn’t been paying attention, because those claws in his bicep were getting tighter and sharper, pricking through his skin and causing him to grunt a little. But that was nothing compared to how Keith was. The poor alien’s silver moon white skin was ashen, purpling at the edges, his ears were pressed back onto his head, his eyes glazed over a little and his mouth tugged open, breathing harsh. His chest was heaving, and his grip was strong. He was looking down at the blood permeating through the bandages on his leg.

Lance was quick to move, reaching for Keith and pushing him back onto the back rest of the sofa, looking directly into his eyes and murmuring for him to breathe slow, long breaths.

“That’s it, dulzura, breathe slowly,” Though Keith at first looked at him odd, he slowly started copying Lance, his chest heaving slowly, though he shuddered with every breath, grip tightening still on Lance’s arm.

Lance hadn’t noticed his mother had gone and returned moments later holding onto his fathers’ cane, the one Lance remembered his father using when he had that accident with his legs, the one that had felled Lance to his knees with the memories of his father. He had the right mind to shove the stick away, no one else was allowed to touch it. But he stopped himself. It was still such a pristine red wood, little knocks on the length here and there, and the handle was catered for his fathers’ hands. This had held his fathers’ weight when he had been in need for it.

Now it was going to hold Keith’s weight, when Lance wasn’t there.

Keith gave it a look, leaning forward and sniffing at it. He grumbled something at the wood and sighed, reaching for it. Lance didn’t have to be able to understand his language to know that Keith wasn’t the kind of person who liked to be a burden on others. He was reluctant to let it go, and Keith was reluctant to accept it. But if the Galra were out there, ready to raze Keith and his family to the ground, Lance was going to be damn sure to make sure Keith was at least stable enough to fight.

_"I know I probably shouldn't be using you,"_ Keith had said, reaching for the walking stick and balancing it on his hands. He was looking at the stick as if it was Lance's father standing before him.  _"But if you help me, I swear I will protect you and your family,"_

Lance _felt_ the words sear through him, and he knew Keith was using the stick as a conduit to talk to his father. Asking for permission perhaps? Damn, they’d have to have a little lesson in xenolinguistics firstly, because not being able to understand Keith was starting to get on Lance’s nerves.

 

Keith was slow to stand; he shuffled to the edge of the sofa from where Lance had pushed him back and reached for the wood. He could sense the importance in his aid; it had the distinct scent of _something_ on it alongside the woodsy leather scent. He gripped at the handle, feeling it prod him a little at his fingers. This seemed to have been designed specifically for someone; either that or it had been used so much it had created grooves in the leather itself.

Would it hold his weight?

There was only one way to find out. His grasp tightened on the leather and wood and he moved slowly. His leg was aching, bloodied and pulsing. It was an awful feeling and he was sure the pain killing medicine was bleeding out along with it.

He hoisted himself up, shuddering when he heard a slight creak in the wood. He knew he was probably much lighter than the humans – by the Angel’s Lance was able to hold him up with such ease – so he knew this thing could take him. His foot ached at taking his entire weight, slivers of throbbing rushing from his foot all the way up his leg to his hip. Thankfully he didn’t let the pain get all that further as he tilted a little to the side and leaned his weight evenly on his leg and the stick.

Standing up as straight as he could, Keith found was just a little bit shorter than Lance, but he knew when he was at full height; he’d be just a little taller. It was odd, his arm was shivering at the unbalanced weight and for a scant moment, he felt like he was going to fall flat on his face.

Thankfully Lance grasped onto him, scooping him up straighter by hooking his arms under Keith’s arms, and holding him up. Mami rushed over to him as well, taking the aid and doing something to it that made it elongate a little more.

She said something to him in their language, and then pointed to the handle of the stick and to his underarms. Keith nodded, understanding her somewhat, and held the stick under his arms instead. There was a small bit that stuck out that he was able to hold onto. He wrapped his grasp onto the handle, holding it tight in his hands, and leaned his weight on the padded leather pressed at his armpit.

Huh, he wasn’t shaking anymore.

Mami motioned for him to move then, motioning her arms as if she were beckoning him over. Keith felt like a cub walking for the first time. He stepped with his foot forward, and shifted his weight to his leg, in doing so, he lifted the stick, feeling it press harder into his arm, and tumbled forward. The stick landed awkwardly and Keith fell to the ground with a harsh thud.

“Keith!” Lance was suddenly around him, checking him for injuries and hoisting him up onto his lap again, asking him things that Keith just could not understand. He really needed to start learning their language.

Well…this wasn’t going to be easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our baby's first steps!


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all!  
> Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments.   
> I am sorry this is such a long time coming, but I will do my best to keep up with my daily updates now that I'm out of the hospital and back home.  
> What what!
> 
> I have plans for this fic, and many others to come in the future.
> 
> Also, fyi, I do not mean to say 'dirt coloured' in a derogatory term, I myself am brown skinned. It just coincides with what Keith said about Lance's skin earlier.

So.

Now he could walk. Somewhat.

Keith was still trying to justify his weight on the walking aid and his now straining good leg. It wasn’t proving to be as easy a task as it looked. It was a steep learning curve for him. He had always been the sleekest, strongest for his size and the most agile of the Galran soldiers. Though he may be a prince; he was a warrior first.

But this…thing, though beautifully crafted and a great asset to his immobility, had pushed Keith down a few pegs. It was going to take him some time to get used to this, to not being able to move as he was used to. The walking stick clacked on the tile and dug into the rugs, though Keith had no use being silent and agile – like he was used to – this was proving to be difficult for even someone as _adaptable_ as him.

He was nowhere _near_ able to adapt to what was happening right now. Everything in his body was aching, stinging pains in all sorts of places. His ears and eyes pricked and dried at the weird lights and sounds, the cold winds made him shudder and stranger still, the food here was all…so soft to eat. He felt like a whelp, a little cub in need of assistance.

He was not at all happy with that fact. He had made it his own to not have anyone help him. He could do everything on his own thank you very much. He learned to fight, he learned to cook, he learned to be a diplomat, and he had learned everything that had made him who he was now. All by observing.

And that was what he was doing now, sitting on the sofa, the walking aid leaning up against his leg, wedged between him and sofa’s armrest. He watched. He had his severed leg on a pillow under his thigh, propped up with a fresh bandage – wrapped by Lance, because Keith didn’t really trust any of the other humans in the home at that moment, though he knew they all meant well, he still wasn’t one hundred percent sure about the yellow one – while his other leg was tucked under him. It had been aching ever since he had tried walking on it to save Lance from that Sendak asshole.

He could hear Mami in one of the rooms behind him, but his body ached too much to turn and pinpoint exactly where, she was humming something and that made him relax. The other dirt coloured humans were working around him, giving him cursory glances every time they passed by him, but they didn’t pay him any heed – Keith was sure this was because they didn’t want to kick up a fuss, and because Lance told them he needed to rest.

He spotted two smaller cubs peering out from the doorway leading into the living space he was sitting in. He flicked his tail at its tip, letting it slip along the tile and make a small rustling sound. He saw the cubs gaze dart to the tail, eyes wide and mouths open in awe. It was surprising how something as simple as his tail had caused them so much enjoyment to look. He knew they wanted to touch it -- he had been the same with his mothers tail, always leaping at it and holding the soft fur against his cheek. His father used to tell him he used to gnaw at the flesh when he was a fangless cub.

He had wished to feel something like that for himself, to have a small cub to take care of. But now...well, that was no longer possible. He didn't really have  _anyone_ any more. Shiro was obviously besotted with the Allura, and his chiikoi -- well, his chiikoi was another whole thing entirely. Once Keith wasn't really all that sure of.

After all, he hadn't really given Lance a  _choice._

The cubs were giggling now, making their way closer to him. It didn’t really make sense to him, everyone had tails. But then again humans’ did not. In fact, they didn’t have a lot of things. He really wished he was able to properly see human anatomy and understand the differences between their species. He’d have to check Lance out thoroughly to help with his observation.

The little ones got closer, and he feigned ignorance to their arrival, much like his mother would do when he hunted for her tail. He swayed his tail in a still sweep against the floor, not really moving it too much, but giving it enough flexing to still cause interest for the cubs. He knew they were ready to pounce on him, they spoke to one another, looking up at him, and then to his tail. But before they could leap, another human had scolded them. They had rushed out of the room and back to the doorway, peering once again.

Keith chuckled, holding a hand to his mouth. But he brought his tail to his hand, smiling at the cubs. The giggled and rushed away. It was...it was nice, this feeling of having little cubs around the house. He could hear their footsteps and it made his hear swell with want. A want he was never going to get.

He instead focused on other things, more important things. Like the fact that he really needed to clean himself. His tail was caked with dirt, the fur at the tip clogged with blood splatter and dust. Ew.

He’d have to ask Lance to help him into the bathing pool. Did they even _have_ a bathing pool, or was that another difference between their species.

He was overthinking things; he knew this to be true. He had Shiro after all, and Shiro had been here for months now. He would know exactly what to expect, he knew how not to make a fool of himself. But Keith couldn’t ask him anything right now, he was busy with Lance, Hunk and Allura at the other end of the room, talking about something in their strange language. Though Keith could pick out some words that _sounded_ Galran, he couldn’t make sense of anything they were saying. They were too far away, and Keith had given up at this point.

It _was_ really starting to bother him. His mother had told him so many fantastical stories about chiikoi and how, when he finally met his own, it would be the best thing to ever happen to him. He may care for his chiikoi, Keith knew Lance cared for him too, in his own way. But it was very difficult to portray that care and comfort. Keith was never really good with his words, he wasn’t very good with his actions either. His social skills were moot, but he knew how to fight, he knew how to strategize. That was always what mattered back home.

But this planet, this _Earth_ was a strange one indeed. So primitive. So emotional. And it did not help that his chiikoi spoke a different language. A language he really needed to start to learn.

But right now, he was feeling very tired. He _had_ lost a lot of blood both with his leg and with Lance drinking from him, and he had gone gallivanting around on traitor territory to try and save his chiikoi. He believed he had earned some rest. With that solid idea, he sought to lay his head onto the arm rest, perching his ears over his arm and wrapping his tail around him as tightly as he could, as he tried his best to catch a moments rest.

A crash sounded from around the room, Keith’s ears flicked to the sound. He opened his eyes and saw his chiikoi standing there, looking at him with those pool blue eyes wide. His cheeks were a shade too pink, and for a moment Keith thought he had fallen ill. On the ground by his feet were a fallen shining packet of something and a pool of water that had spilled out from a glass laying on the ground.

He spoke again, in that language and Keith let out a breath. He squinted his eyes, perching his ears up and directly at Lance – hearing his chiikoi let out a small squeak – and really tried to _listen._ Maybe he could make something out of that weird language everyone spoke on this planet.

Shiro said something to him again, and that was the moment that Keith knew his place here. He didn’t belong here. He didn’t belong with Lance. His chiikoi was just too different, too much of a fantasy. He wasn’t ever going to really learn what they were saying, or what they were doing. Not now, not when Shiro was busy with the others.  

Everything was so alien to him. It really made him feel sick for a home that didn’t exist anymore.

No, he shouldn’t think about that now. There was no use of him being depressed now, to think about a world he could not bring back. Right now, he needed to ignore everyone around him and rest. He needed to bring his strength up so he could find a way to leave. With him here, no one was safe. Hell, he still wasn’t sure if Sendak had told Zarkon where he was. There could just as well be an entire armada coming to the door of the Lance’s. He was going to bring annihilation to his chiikoi and his pack just by being here.

He just needed to rest, and then he’d be on his way. His chiikoi did not want him. He was only reacting to the situation they were in. Once Keith left, he’d be back to his normal life. Keith was sure of it.

And Keith...well, you only ever had one chiikoi in your lifetime. If Keith survived, then he was going to do the right thing. He was going to stay away from Lance and try to find others just like him. Maybe there were Galran’s, _good ones,_ out there somewhere. This was only one planet in the universe.

He felt a presence in front of him and he opened his eyes again. His heart did a weird somersault in his chest when he saw his chiikoi standing in front of him, looking nervous. The water had been mopped up, and the glass was now sitting on the table, filled with water. He must have blacked out for a moment, because he hadn’t even _noticed_ the movement around him.

Lance looked at him, fiddling nervously with his fingers. Keith’s ears perked up to him, showing him he was paying attention, though his eyes were half lidded.

“ _Hello Prince Yorak,”_ Lance’s voice was sweet against Keith’s ears. It was nice to hear his name in such an oddly lilting accent. “ _My name is Lance; I am your chiikoi,”_

Wait…

That was…Keith understood that.

Lance was speaking Galran.


	35. Chapter 35

Galran.

Lance was speaking Galran – garbled and a little mismatched here and there with his words and his intonations, and the way he said it was a little lilting, but he was still speaking it.

His chiikoi was learning to speak his language. Keith wanted to kiss him. He wanted to reach out to his chiikoi, drag him down onto the soft sofa and kiss the very breath out of his lungs. He wanted to hold his chiikoi, _his Lance_ , close to him, tight and solid, wrap his tail around the man and never let him go. Because this… _this_ was proof that Lance did care, that he _cared so much!_ Keith was elated, and he guessed it showed on his face because Lance was smiling too, looking a little hesitant as he said something in his own language, eyes darting to the others in the room, and then back to Keith.

“I hope I said that right,” he grinned, chuckling a little.

Keith got up then, watching as those lips moved. That chuckle was a deep rumble that made Keith shiver. Keith wanted to hear him when he was laughing, really laughing. His voice would sound like a sweetest of bells. Lance had called him by his _real_ name, it had sounded so…off, so mispronounced, he rolled the r instead of punctuating it, and he gave the k a hard hit at the end. His name had never sounded so wrong. So awful in its entirety. It had never sounded so _good._

_“Say my name again, please?”_ He tried, pushing himself up on the sofa, the pillow plunked onto the ground, the walking aid clacking on the tile, but Keith paid no heed, even when his leg protested at the sudden weight it was not used to. He lost his footing and stumbled onto Lance, grasping onto his chest. Lance wrapped his arms around Keith, holding him up, but he couldn’t stop staring at those lips, that mouth. “ _Please, Lance, just say my name one more time, call me your chiikoi,”_

Because Lance had admitted it. He had said his name and spoken the words. It was a sacred vow, it was something they took so seriously. They were together now, they were one. He had announced their union in Keith’s mother tongue. Word was just as strong as anything to the Galra. And Lance had said it. Said the words with such possession, such finality. 

_I am your chiikoi._

Lance had…he had _said it_ …and it made Keith’s heart swell, his mind suddenly snapped back into place as if all was good with the world. He could die happy now, he felt succinct, so pure and completely vulnerable at that point. Because announcing those words, saying their names, it meant _more_ than just mere words _._ It was a proposal, but so much  _more._

He was Keith’s now, as Keith was his.

“I uh…I don’t know anything else other than that,” Lance stated, so instead he repeated the words again, slowly this time, pointing to Keith and then to himself as he introduced himself once again. Keith’s attention was still on his lips when he said the words, watching with such avid attention. “ _Prince Yorak, my name is Lance, I am your chiikoi,”_

He said it again.

Keith’s eyes lit up, because now he knew he hadn’t been dreaming, or in some blacked out pain and trauma induced nightmare. Lance had _actually said it!_ He wanted to jump for joy, he wanted to leap to the tallest mountain and shout it out to the entire universe, he wanted to drag Lance in close and kiss him. _“One more time,”_

“Okay, _my prince,_ ” Shiro’s voice cut through his happy bubble, and he was suddenly dragged away from Lance.

Keith growled, yowling and curling like a cat, swiping at Shiro with claw-sheathed hands, grumbling and pouting. Shiro grinned at his tantrum, knowing exactly why he was acting like this. They had basically spoken their ‘I do’s’, in a way. It was going to be hard to keep these two apart now. _“You’re exacerbating your injuries,”_

Keith ignored the stabbing ache in his legs and grabbed onto Shiro’s lapels, dragging the taller man closer. “ _Teach me, I want to speak my vow to him in his tongue,”_

Shiro rolled his eyes and nodded. “ _Rest first, speak your vows later,_ ”

“Okay, what did you make me actually say, Shiro?” Lance suddenly said, crossing his arms over his chest and giving the two a look, one that said he wanted answers.

Shiro shrugged his shoulders, smiling innocently. “You said hello, and introduced yourself and your stature to him, you _are_ his chiikoi,  _right?_ ”

Chiikoi, Shiro had explained to him what that meant. He was to be Keith's partner, his carer, like a guardian, the one who would look after him and be looked after in return. They were to be a team, like an unstoppable force -- which Lance thought they really needed now with the aliens coming to their very doorstep. And okay, so Shiro had told him about the  _lover_ aspect to it as well, and though at first Lance had to really think about that, he had asked all sorts of questions to what a chiikoi meant, what he would be expected to do. But Shiro had told him that it wasn't anything major, nothing too out of the ordinary than what they were doing already.

So yeah, Lance had agreed. He had learned the words, and was told by Shiro to say them exactly as that. Formal greeting followed by his intent, his  _vow_ Shiro had said. It felt _final._ And it was surreal how that didn't scare him. He knew any normal person would probably be running for the hills at the prospect of vowing themselves to an alien -- one they had met mere hours ago -- yet there was just something deep inside Lance that told him this was right.

Maybe it was because of that dream he had, the one he had been having ever since he could remember. Of  _Keith --_ yeah, now that he really had a chance to think about it, it was _Keith --_ trying to save him from the weird coffin like chamber, it had been  _Keith_ who had had his heart ripped out by those who held him back.

So yeah, this felt... _right._  

"Yes, I am." He replied seriously. 

Shiro nodded, and returned to aiding Keith, helping him settle back on the bed and rest.

Lance narrowed his gaze at the taller man, pursing his lips as he thought about what he said. He always wanted to learn other languages, and being a xenologist had always sounded fun to try and master, though he had expected it to be completely difficult. But here was an _actual_ alien, one who spoke a language _literally_ not of this earth in front of him. He would actually get a chance to pursue one of his dreams. “ _Hello,_ I guess that means, hello. I get the  _chiikoi_ bit. But  _Prince Yorak?_ What does that mean? _”_

“I think that’s his name?” Hunk pointed out, coming from the kitchen and handing them all a mug of hot steaming tea. He was careful to hand Keith it, stating it was hot. He mimicked blowing at the steam coming from the top to indicate its temperature. Keith took the mug, wincing at the heat on the ceramic against his fingertips, looking at the contents inside. He took a sniff of it, actually _liking_ the sweet and earthy smelling liquid, and he blew on it, just like Hunk had shown him.

“I thought his name was…longer,” Lance replied, remembering the first time he had introduced himself to Keith. When Keith had said his own name, it had definitely _sounded_ longer.

“Ah, yes.” Shiro stated, picking up the pillow from the ground and placing it underneath Keith’s amputated leg, thankful that the injury was congealing somewhat now that Keith was not using it a lot and actually _resting._ He really needed to reprimand his prince with everything they had been through so far. But he knew his prince would not listen to reason, not now that his chiikoi had stated his intent. “He was introducing his stature to you as Crown Prince Yorak, Saviour of the Light to the throne of the Galran Kingdom, ruler of the planet Daibazaal Prime,”

He stilled suddenly, his eyes widening at what he just said. Ah... _quiznak._

There was sudden silence in the entire house, like a creepily and eerily stillness. Even the crickets and cicadas weren’t chirping outside. The sound of the waves passed the lanai that were usually gentle sounded so loud, as was the wind whipping through the trees outside, the solid hum of the fridge and the ticking of clocks around the house was strong, but every person inside was absolutely silent.

“He’s what now?” Lance’s voice broke the silence.

Lance's reaction was to be expected. His eyes were wide, as was his mouth. He stumbled back onto the table, whacking the back of his knees against the wood and thudding onto it. “I thought you called him prince as like an endearment…I didn’t think he was an _actual…ay dios_ and I _…we…_ did _so much!_ ”

“He’s a prince?” Hunk’s eyes were just as wide, but he was so much more gleeful, excited. Like a child had just found something shiny to play with. “Like of a whole planet? Where _is_ Daibazaal Prime? Is it in another galaxy...”

Hunk returned to his interested phase, asking question upon question to the poor aliens in the room. Lance held a hand to his mouth, a slight upturn at the corners of his lips, as he muttered silently to himself. “I kissed him. I kissed a _prince_ of a whole _planet,_ ” This was turning into one of those sci-fi romance books he borrowed from Allura all the time and kept stashed away.

They were suddenly interrupted by a continuous thudding on their front door. Mami was quick to rush over towards it, having been standing at the doorway and listening in to the conversation. Keith's ears perked up when he heard the door open, and his tail swished around him once again. He held onto the end tightly, expecting another assault, or something worse. He was having a difficult time keeping up with the rapid language coming from the yellow man. And Lance was looking lost, but he was smiling as he murmured to himself.

Quiznaking language barrier!

“Lancito,” the Mami called out, and Lance peered up from his stupor. “You have a visitor,”

Lance stood up suddenly, wondering just who it could have been so late in the night. He hadn’t been expecting any company. And his mother had definitely not sounded worried, so it must have meant someone they knew had come. He turned the corner of the house and noticed a familiar gleam of round glasses. Followed by Hunk suddenly flying the corner behind him, almost bumping into him.

“I called Pidge over,” he said suddenly, holding his phone in his hand to show a texting screen on its face. “I’m sorry, I thought they’d like to know as well!”

Pidge had their eyes narrowed behind their thin round glasses, their hair was in disarray and they looked like they had just gotten out of bed, or their usual long sleepless nights of tech building – or whatever it was they did with the gleam of the computer screen illuminating their face in the early mornings. They didn’t look happy.

Pidge held their hands to their hips. “So, you’re keeping secrets from me? And an _alien_ _boyfriend_ at that? You’re not getting away from me this time McClain,”

Ah fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I do love Pidge.  
> Let's just say she was visiting Cuba alongside Hunk...


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Le gasp yo!  
> Daily updates again?
> 
> You betcha! I'm in the mood to finish this and the others I have in my head before my timely demise!  
> Let's get jinkie with it!

“H-hey there, Pidge,” Lance tried, scratching the back of his head and trying to look innocent. “Look I can explain,”

Pidge hugged Lance’s mother, as they were accustomed to do whenever they came to Lance’s house. Elena was always such a lovely lady who loved to hug and squeeze all of Lance’s friends. She was like a second mother to them all. Pidge glared at Lance over Elena’s shoulder, narrow eyes and pursed lips.

Elena ushered them into the living room and introduced them to the room. Shiro stood up suddenly, standing protectively in front of his prince. But Pidge noticed Keith immediately. It wasn’t hard to do so after all, everyone was sitting pointedly looking at the seat behind Shiro.

They made their way over to them all, ignoring Allura and Hunk, though they had nodded to them, and stood directly in front of Shiro. He was a giant compared to them, but they had known Shiro for a few months now and in that time they knew he was like a giant teddy bear with them. They glared up at him, motioning for him to move.

Shiro was hesitant, but he did so anyway, and Pidge was met with the half turned Galran sitting on the sofa. His purple eyes were wide in shock and worry, and his ears were perched up almost like a bats’ would be on the tops of his head, hidden somewhat under his fluffy looking long hair, which was in disarray. He was curled in on himself, legs bent under himself – no, just one leg curled under, the other was propped up on the pillow, recently severed they could tell, and freshly bandaged. His skin was pale and sweating, though they couldn’t tell how pale, since they hadn’t seen what he looked like _normally._ They were definitely sure pale skin was _not_ his normal. Pidge gave him another long look, taking in how _human_ he looked. Yet at the same time, he didn’t look human at all.

“So you’re the one,” they said calmly, giving him a once over, similar to how Hunk had looked at him. Except they were completely silent when they did so.

Keith noticed their glasses were glinting as they made a one-eighty around him. He grasped his tail tighter and growled at them when they got a little too close.

_“What is this ones’ name, then?”_ Keith asked, gaze darting up to Shiro quickly, before returning to the smaller human eyeing them. Pidge hummed, leaning in closer to him. They clucked their tongue when he growled at them again, baring their teeth. Pidge’s eyes widened, but not in fear, instead with awe. They grinned then, bright wide and almost childlike.

“This is so awesome,” they gasped, turning to Lance. “How’d you bag an actual real life alien as your boyfriend?”

Lance shrugged his shoulders, though he had been there, he couldn’t really tell any of them what was going through him right that moment. It was something _instinctive_ to him. Something he knew they wouldn’t understand. Only Allura and Shiro knew the truth, and he wanted to keep it that way. At least for now.

Keith was…

…well he was different.

“So, about what we were saying,” Pidge suddenly said, shrugging off their back pack and taking a seat right next to Keith. Something solid bubbled up inside Lance at the proximity Pidge was showcasing. He didn’t like it. Weird. His fingers were itching to do something. Like sitting between Pidge and Keith and making them keep their distance.

Wait...this was  _Pidge._

Keith wasn’t looking all that worse for wear, thankfully. He was still a little worried, and his grip on his tail was just as tight. But he was just staring at Pidge the same way they had stared at him, eyes yellowing in the corners, mouth pursed tight. He was muttering something or another in his language, eyes narrowed and ears perched up.

Hunk got up suddenly and made his way to Pidge, sitting down on the spot next to them and speaking to the rest of the room. “Yeah, so Pidge and I had been working on this new tech right. We were thinking of humans and their biological limitations,” Hunk added, getting more and more excited as he went. “Mostly it was about Shiro and his arm,”

Shiro placed a hand to his metallic arm, the grey black contrasting greatly with his pale hand. The doctors had given him this arm; it definitely had its limitations that was for sure. It creaked and majority of the time, his hands didn’t move the way he wanted them to. He always found himself having to put some kind of lubrication in the joints.

Pidge nodded, reaching for their backpack. They pulled out their laptop and pulled open the screen. It was already on to an image of a metallic hand, a silver white in colour, it shone quite provocatively. “We came up with a new sub-animatronic arm, with better flex sensors and servos.”

“The power source was a bit of a problem,” Hunk replied quaintly, “but Pidge and I came up with cardioverter-defibrillators – the same stuff used for pacemakers,”

“If we implanted a boosted and tweaked version of that into Shiro’s arm,” Pidge took over, typing at their keyboard, the screen showing another image of a weird cell like piece of tech, one that would be implanted into Shiro most likely. “He’d be able to power the arm up with his heart beat, and if we get the nerve links right, he'd be able to move his fingers as well,

Hunk nodded, looking at the math on the laptop. "He’d probably be able to feel sensations too, like hot and cold, if we work it right,”

Shiro’s eyes widened. He hadn’t thought he’d ever get to feel in his metal arm again. But if they were able to do this for him, then that would be absolutely fantastic. It’d be like a dream come true for him.

“What about Keith?” Shiro asked, motioning to the alien on the sofa.

Hunk looked at Pidge, who looked at Keith and then back to Hunk. “The weight distribution might be a little hard to work with,”

“And the nerves and joints – I mean it’s not the whole leg,” Hunk continued, working in the same train of thought as Pidge. “He’d probably only need some toe movement, right? But not all of it -- I mean, he's got his balance with that tail,”

“Yeah, it’d be the same as Shiro’s arm,” Pidge nodded, grinning as ideas popped into their head. “It’s gonna hurt like a bitch though,”

“Language!” Shiro groused.

Pidge rolled their eyes. “It’s definitely doable, but we’re going to have to take measurements and stuff, like we did with you,”

Shiro nodded, kneeling down before Keith. _“Pidge says they can get you a new leg, the same as my arm,”_

_“The little gremlin with the glass in front of their eyes is called a Pidge?”_ Keith raised an eyebrow, but then his eyes widened. _“Wait, a new leg?”_

A new leg. With a new leg he would easily be manoeuvre himself around again, like he used to. He wouldn’t be a burden on any of them either. He had only been here for a day and they had been invaded, kidnapped, threatened and almost killed because of him. With a new leg, he’d be able to take Zarkon head on all by himself. Take down the very man who had destroyed his planet and annihilated his people.

With a new leg, he’d be able to successfully leave Lance, for his safety. Lance may have _said_ he wanted Keith as his chiikoi. But who was Keith kidding, Lance probably didn’t even know _what_ he was saying. He’d never agree to being tied to someone like Keith. Prince or not, Keith had nothing right now. He couldn’t even look after himself, he couldn’t even speak here.

He was useless.

It would be best to leave them all. Shiro had made a home here, and his chiikoi was happy without him. It made his heart ache at the very thought of it, but he knew this was for the best.

He was going to get a new leg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it feels rather rushed at parts...I'm trying my best.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bath...time?

Lance couldn’t sleep.

He had tried to, really he did. But he just couldn't.

He lay on his back on his warm bed, the mattress smelling sweetly of the former resident who had been resting on it before. The sun must have risen by now, but his room was dark, only the slit of light under his door from the hallway shone bright. He turned his head to the side to see Keith asleep next to him, clutching on his forearm, deep in sleep. Lance couldn't keep his eyes off the alien’s purpling moonlight white skin, his dark eyelashes that fanned out on the apple of his cheeks.

Wow…

Lance felt a shudder run through him. And it wasn't from the cool air around them. He couldn't help his mind returning to a few hours earlier.

Keith had looked exhausted as they sat in the middle of the living room, tucked in the corner of the sofa, arms wrapped tight around his body. Lance knew the Galran needed a nice, long bath and a good rest. All of that dirt and blood would start irritating him soon enough, and he wouldn't be able to sleep. With that in mind, he lifted the Galran from his sofa and held him close, carrying Keith in his arms as they made their way along the long hallway. He didn’t care for the others teasing him and stopping him. They had stopped in front of the large bathroom, and Lance hesitated.

Was he really going to give his chiikoi a bath?

There was exhaustion written on Keith’s face and fear etched in his eyes, and Lance felt a strong need to ease the Galrans’ fears.

“Don’t be afraid,” he had said softly.

Keith shook his head, loose tendrils of his hair swaying on his forehead, making him look softer than Lance had ever seen him before. More angelic. Lance pushed the door to the bathroom open and settled Keith onto the porcelain of the closed toilet lid. Lance’s mind whirled. Was he really going to do this? Would he be  _able_ to do this? Or would he freeze up or have a panic attack in the middle of it all? His heart hammered against his chest, cutting his breath into shocked fragments.

But Keith was watching him with such trust, such awe, such love. It made Lance want to be extra careful with his chiikoi. To treat him like the prince he was, and like the chiikoi they were together. It made his heart swell at the thought of caring for someone. Lance heard Keith mumble something under his breath, but didn't catch the words – not that he’d understand anyway. He instead turned the showers on. He reached for the Galran, but paused when he saw Keith flinch slightly.

Was Keith afraid of  _him_? Or was he afraid of taking a shower together? Being naked and having Lance actually touch his skin, wash him? Or was it something else entirely? 

He saw Keith’s pretty purple eyes dart to his leg. Lance didn’t know what it would feel like to lose a limb. But he did know, when something went wrong, it was best to do something routine to soothe the soul. But what exactly did Galran’s do?

Lance remembered when he first learned how to shoot a gun – it was a BB gun his older brother Luis had given him without their mother knowing it. He had thought he had been old enough to shoot one. The shot of the bb-gun had felt so good, strong and powerful, but when his bullet almost grazed his brother, accidentally hurting him, he had put the gun down and rushed out of the room. His mother had found him on his bed later that day, huddled under his blanket, shivering. He had soon grown out of that. But Lance knew that feeling he had felt all those years ago. He still felt the need to have something to secure him, to soothe him. He knew its need, its importance.

But that still didn’t answer his question. What was it that Galran’s do?

He moved in closer and let Keith rest his head on his chest, embracing him like they had done before. Hopefully this was helping, something Keith would be more familiar with. Something he was more comfortable with right now. Lance ran his fingers through Keith’s hair, letting the soft dark tendrils curl around his fingers.

“Don't be afraid,” Lance said soothingly. “Don't be afraid to be yourself with me –- to be vulnerable. I will never exploit what you share,”

Keith looked up at him, eyes wide. Slowly his hand rose up to Lance’s face, palm resting against his cheek, curling up behind his ear. Lance could feel the sudden relaxation in Keith. His tense muscles loosened, his head rested more firmly on Lance's chest, and his eyes fell closed.

“No sleeping, _dulzura_ ,” Lance pulled him back and holding him at arms-length. He took a good look at the Galran prince, Keith looked exhausted, his purple eyes stood out against the yellow rimming around them. His fingers curled tighter around Lance’s ear, tugging on his lobe, well not really tugging, just holding it there. 

Keith turned a healthy shade of pink under his intense gaze. “Chiikoi?”

Lance shivered, sucking in a deep breath. 

“Let's do this,” he said ultimately, dropping down to his knees in front of Keith.

He reached for the Galran princes’ boot and started to untie the laces. Keith pulled his feet away, looking down and murmuring words. Ignoring the Galran, he took a tight hold of Keith's ankle and pulled his leg forward. He continued untying the laces and pulled the shoe off. He saw Keith close his eyes and let out a long breath as he allowed Lance to do as he pleased.

_“This is the oddest form of courting I have ever seen,”_

Lance took note, and was awed in how much trust the Galran was showing. Once his shoe was off, he threw them and his black socks, behind them. He chuckled when Keith wiggled his purple, clawed toes.  God, it was easy to get addicted to this feeling, this feeling of caring for someone, of loving someone. He could imagine a future of caring for the prince, teaching him how to act, how to speak. It was like teaching a child how to act like a grown up sometimes.

Was that why it was so easy for Lance to accept this? Or was it something else? Another feeling he had? Something that was deep inside him, something profound? Is this what the whole chiikoi thing meant?

He was already hooked to Keith. Attune to the Galran’s every minuscule move when he was around, ears attune to every breath, every sigh. His voice, Lance didn't really understand the squirm in his stomach ever time Keith said his name, or hell, even spoke. His voice was gravel like, so deep, so much more so than he expected. 

The steam from the showers enveloped around the two, creating a small space just for them. Lance stood up suddenly, pulling Keith with him.

“Take your clothes off,” He ordered, he wasn't going to go into that territory. The territory that made him stare at the Galran’s lithe chest, his hip bones and the small trail that started from his navel to his—  _Fuck._

_“I don’t think you’re understanding the concept of; ‘I don’t understand you’, you dumbass,”_ Keith eyed him once again.

Lance rolled his eyes and took in a deep breath, he reached for Keith’s hips and tugged on his pyjamas, pulled them down. They pooled to the ground by his feet, leaving him naked except for Lance’s boxers he was wearing. Lance took another long, deep breath. He reached for Keith, holding him close once again. He tapped his lips to the princes’ forehead, hoping to soothe him.

“Don’t worry, _dulzura_.” He said, shrugging off his shirt and jeans. In just his boxers and undershirt he moved them both to the shower cubicle. “We'll do this the long way then,”


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some sweetness, before the bad stuff...

The water was warm as it hit them. It cascaded down both of them, soaking them through. Keith’s ears drooped down over his hair as he leaned into Lance, leg propped up on the side, wrapped in plastic and bandages, drawing in the water the longer he stayed in the shower. Lance was going to have to change his bandages anyway. Keith lay forward, resting his weary head on the humans’ chest.

Lance reached back for the shampoo, squirting some in his hands and running the small lather he created through that head of dark hair. Scratching lightly and rubbing soothing circles over his ears, head and neck as he cleaned the blood and dirt from his hair. He heard the Galran moan at his caresses.

Lance sucked in a gasp as his fingers brushed against Keith’s pale skin, the touch sent bolts of lightning through his body. He shivered, feeling the electric blue heat spark between them.

Keith’s muscles were tense, but he was breathing slowly at Lance’s ministrations. Lance leaned back again and took a wash cloth and shower gel, squirting a good amount. He created lather and ran the wash cloth over his skin. Keith leaned in closer as Lance ran the soap from his back, over his shoulders and down his arms.

Lance understood Keith’s vehemence, but there was no denying the heat in his cheeks, his ragged breath, the feel of his quickened heartbeat. This change in their relationship was going to be a force to reckon with.

Blood thundered through his veins, care heating it and pushing it faster and hotter through him. Lance took in and released several deep breaths, needing his control. He pulled the Galran back

“I’m not going to hurt you, Keith.” He murmured, running his thumbs in small circles on Keith’s arms.

“ _Chiikoi,_ ” He murmured, grasping at Lance’s wet shirt.  _“This is beginning to get a little too much for me; I don’t know what you want,”_

Lance smiled hesitantly and held the soapy Keith under the stream of water. Keith sucked in a breath at the sudden warm water hitting his skin. Lance reached for the wash cloth, squirting more shower gel onto it. He ran the wash cloth down the Galran’s body, slowly yet methodically cleaning him.

He could hear Keith’s heartbeat pounding as his hands glided quickly down his thighs; rising up to his sides once again, pressed the sponge lightly against his skin. Several shivers ran down Lance’s spine and he began to feel slightly aroused at Keith’s mewled moans. He could see quite well even in the steam filled bathroom, and he knew that Keith was very attractive.

Damn it. This was not the best time.

A few moments later, when the soap had washed away under the water, Lance turned the shower off. Keith had returned to leaning back on him, his forehead resting against Lance's shoulder. Lance reached out to the hook outside the stalls and yanked the large towel off. He wrapped it around the Galran, glad it was large enough to wrap around his entire body.

Together they stepped out of the shower. He settled Keith back down on the toilet seat. Lance shook his head, getting all of the excess water from his hair out. He found a few more towels in one of the cupboards and returned to the Galran. Running the fluffy towel over the Galran’s head, he smiled.

This  _was_ nice.

Once the Galran’s’ hair was somewhat dry, he ushered the exhausted Keith out of the bathroom and to his room. Still completely wet himself, Lance let out a shiver at the change of temperature from the steamy bathroom and the hallway.

Lance switched on the lamp and settled Keith onto the bed. The Galran complied, watching, through half lidded eyes, as Lance rushed around his room, looking for two separate sets of clothes.

Thinking it was best to get him dressed and then see to the soaked bandages, Lance handed Keith a new set of clothes, along with clean underwear, and motioned for him to change. Keith peeled off his wet underwear and pulled on his shirt and dry underwear and stared at the pyjamas. Lance shed off his wet clothes and changed into a pair of dry pyjamas. He turned to Keith, watching the Galran look at the pyjamas with confusion.

“What's wrong?” Lance asked.

Keith held the pyjamas up, the back of it facing Lance, “ _I need to bandage my leg up, dumbass._ ” he said quietly, bright eyes wide as he pointed to the wet plastic wrapped around his leg.

Lance took the pyjamas and placed them to the side. He pulled open the top drawer of his desk and fished out a pair of scissors. Snipping carefully at the plastic he had wrapped round the bandages, he slowly shuck them off.

Thankfully, Allura hadn’t taken the bandages or the medication from his room from before, so he reached for it and got to work. He was still very squeamish seeing the bloodied, congealing skin come to view as he unravelled the damp gauze. The leg looked a lot better than it had when he first saw it.

“There,” He said, quickly smearing and massaging the medication onto his leg and wrapping it back up. Keith let out a low moan at the touch, pressing a hand to Lance’s head, gripping his hair and dragging him up.

_“You don’t want to start what you can’t finish,”_

Though Lance didn’t understand what he said, he saw Keith’s expression. Those eyes were dangerous and so heated, lips curled up in a smile, fangs looking sharp. He looked  _hot._  Lance felt his entire body harden.

“O-Okay.” Lance replied quickly, helping Keith into his pyjamas and getting up.

He carefully rubbed Keith's hair and ears with the towel, drying off any excess dampness. Once everything was dry, he settled the Galran onto his bed and pulled the covers over his body. “Sleep now,”

“ _Don’t leave me, chiikoi, let me had my last night with you close,_ ” Keith beckoned, holding his arms up, making grabbing motions. Lance rolled his eyes and complied, settling into the bed next to his Galran.

And that’s how Lance found himself a few hours later, watching the Galran sleep, unable to do so himself.  _Fuck…_

Seeing sleep as a pointless endeavour, Lance peeled Keith’s grip on his arm and got up and out of bed. The room was a little chilly, and the floor was cool. He slipped on the shoes and pulled on his robe. He should probably get another blanket for Keith; the alien looked a little cold.

He let out a long, tired breath, making his way out of his room and to the airing cupboard down the hall. He pulled the door open wide and he tried to search for the softest and fluffiest cloud like blanket he could find. The sounds of his family and friends mulling about around the house was welcoming, it felt like everything was back to normal. Mundane.

His thoughts instead turned to the memory of Keith… _Prince_ Keith, or  _Prince Yorak_. Keith had looked  _so happy_ when Lance had spoken in his language. The look on his face, the way his eyes had lit up, his smile so wide. Lance had felt his heart skipped a million beats, butterflies swan in his chest, he felt hot all over.

All because Lance had spoken his language, said he was his chiikoi. Lance wanted to learn more, if only to see his face light up again. It was a little hard to learn, but Shiro had said it would get easier with time. But Lance was going to learn his Galran A B C’s.

And then when he had given him a bath. Feeling that warm, firm skin under his hands, his smooth hair and so soft ears. The way Keith had been looking at him, with so much wonder, with so much heat. It had taken so much out of Lance not to just lean down and kiss him, to touch him in more ways than 'clinical'. Trembling hands grasped at the blankets, dragging a few down and testing their fluffiness. His heart was still pounding at the memory of Keith’s smile, his lips still tingling at the feel of his kiss. Oh, he couldn’t get that man,  _that kiss,_  from his mind.

Keith…

“Lance.” The voice was just a whisper, but he had heard it. Looking around, he saw he was completely alone in the corridors at the top floor of the house. It was silent, eerily so. Where was the sound of his family? His mother, his sisters, his brothers.

“Lance,” The voice was a lot closer to him now, it sounded grated, sickening. But there was no one around him. There wasn’t anyone one anywhere.

Was he hearing things?

The area suddenly grew cold. Goosebumps appeared on his bare arms and legs, puffs of air releasing from his mouth at every breath. What was happening? Had someone turned up the AC?

“This isn’t funny guys,” he tried, hoping that whoever was calling him would appear. He didn’t recognise the voice.

Nothing. Just….complete silence. His heart hammered in his chest for a whole new reason now. Fear. He swore he saw something slither across the ground next to his feet.

"Okay, I'm imagining things." he closed the door and back into his room. Keith was still sleeping there, curled in on himself, but his arm was out in Lance's space, as if he had been searching for him. His heart beat out of sync at that, aching for more than just a look. He hastily put the fluffy blanket on Keith's body and turned around, lest he let temptation guide him closer to the alien. Taking one last look at the prince asleep on his bed, Lance made his way to the kitchen.

Coffee was in order. He stopped when he saw Shiro sitting on the island bar, a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Hey, Lance…” Shiro said, looking up at him. “We need to talk,”

 


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gasp.  
> Missed a day. Sorry. I was in the hospital yesterday, and too zonked out for the remainder of the rest of the day to write.
> 
> But hey, we're here and we're going to rock it. Hopefully.

"We need to talk,"

That almost always never meant good news. 

Lance shuddered, but nodded and made his way over to the coffee machine on the kitchen counter, pouring himself a cup. He settled on the stool in front of Shiro and took a long sip. It seemed like he wasn’t the only one in need of coffee right now.

"What's up?" He asked, nonchalantly, hoping to sound a little more chipper than he really felt. His thoughts were still swirling with the pretty alien sleeping in his bed, all curled up and cute and purring -- oh god, he had been  _purring_.

“How’s he doing?” Shiro asked, placing the cup down on the table with a resounding thud that brought Lance from his thoughts.

Lance looked at the murky darkness of his coffee. “I think he’s doing okay, considering what happened…and the whole _alien_ thing.” Shiro nodded, knowing exactly where this was heading. “He’s…he responds to me in a way that I feel like I…know. Or _should_ know. He…he calms me down, but he also makes me feel…I don’t know. Ay, I'm not making sense.”

He expected Shiro to tease him or to ask him what he was talking about, but Shiro looked lost himself. The man really needed to catch up on some well needed sleep. Hell they all did. So much had happened in such a short span of time. They had literally been thrust into an all out  _war._ He didn't think he was ready for something like this.

“Shiro, do you know something?” Lance asked, peering closer at the man. He  _did_ look like he was hiding something. “I feel like you’re not telling me the whole story about the chiikoi thing,”

Shiro suddenly looked up, and let out a long sigh. "You know I said chiikoi are like lovers, right?” Lance nodded, remembering the conversation they had when Lance had wanted to learn some Galran words for Keith to feel more relaxed. “Well, it’s more than that. It’s…look, there’s only ever _one_ chiikoi for a Galran,"

Wait, what? Lance’s eyes widened at the realisation. No  _wonder_ Keith was acting so...like _that._  “What? How—you-you mean like soulmates?”

“That’s an accurate assumption,” Shiro's nail chipped at the ceramic mug in front of him, tap, tap, tapping away as he tried to mull his thoughts into something coherent for the human to understand. “But it’s also very different. _You_ can choose to say no, or walk away, Prince Yo- _Keith_ can’t. You’re it for him.”

Oh.

“That’s why I…” Shiro sucked in a haggard breath and looked at Lance, directly into his eyes. “If you are not in this for the long run, then don’t lead him on. I’ll take him somewhere else, somewhere safe,”

Ay dios, this was a lot more than he had first thought. “But if _I’m it,_ then…what’ll happen to Keith?”

Shiro lost his confidence then, shoulders slumping and body leaning heavily on the table. “We’ll…we’ll figure it out,”

Oh god, this had just made everything so much harder. They already had so much on their plate, what with the bad guys roaming about. What if…what if he said yes; and that only brought more of those mechanical soldiers to his door? Sure, being with Keith would be an absolute dream, but what if, by staying with Keith, he brought a curse to his home? His family lived here, they weren't ready for things like that!

But what if he said no, and Keith and Shiro left, and something happened to him, to his family. That Sendak guy knew who they were, he must have sent a signal to the big boss – because Lance was _sure_ he wasn’t the big kahuna. What if they came down and killed them all when they were at their weakest.

Being with Keith was the best for them right now – and if it played right into what Lance was feeling for Keith, the fact that he _wanted_ the long run, then that was just the icing on the cake really.

“I do want to,” Lance replied, but he still sounded somewhat unsure. Lifelong seemed like a big commitment with someone he had only just met a few hours ago -- no matter what his heart was telling him. “But I’m afraid…what if those soldiers come again, Shiro...what are we...what're we going to do?"

Shiro gripped his coffee cup, his knuckles turning white. “I’ll tell you what we’re going to do, we’re going to find Zarkon and strike him down,”

Zarkon. That was the big bad guy at the end of the game’s name was.

Lance had to agree with Shiro. If he wanted to have any kind of future with the alien in his bed – and by god did he – then he was going to have to fight for him. “But, we don't even know where to look."

Shiro's face fell, but he nodded, placing his cup on the table and pushing his chair back. He looked ready for battle. “There had got to be something on Sendak's ship, now that all the sentries are down, we’ll override it and find out just where to go next. Thace must know  _something._ ”

Lance held his hands up in solid agreement to the plan. Though it was a frightening one. He knew Shiro was right. They needed to get to the bottom of this, soon, before anything worse happened. They had been lucky with Sendak being a small-fry – which still confused Lance, because he didn’t look like a lower level bad guy. But he counted his blessings, it could have been so much worse.

But Shiro was tired, and so was he. They needed to rest, to recuperate, to understand what was happening before doing anything.

“Shiro. You need to sleep.”

Shiro visibly sagged and settled back onto the chair, taking a sip of his coffee. He wrinkled his nose at the liquid. Lance could understand, coffee usually helped them out, a lot. But now, it just tasted bland. It wasn't helping like it usually did.

“So do you,” He rebutted.

“Yeah, but it's kind of hard when...” Lance’s eyes widened and he paused mid-sentence. He picked up his cup, and placed it in the sink. He cleared his throat and turned to the doorway. “I'm gonna go get some shut eye.”

Well, Shiro thought to himself. That was odd. What was Lance hiding? He watched the younger man leave the kitchen, scratching the back of his head, deep in thought. Shiro wanted to know what was running through his mind – if only to understand if their conversation had gotten through to him. It was such an important decision for Lance to make.

He surprisingly had taken everything by stride, but Shiro knew there was something holding him back. Was he hiding something? No, Lance was anything but a liar. Maybe he was just tired. Or maybe Lance didn't know  _what_ he was feeling just yet.

Shiro could relate.

Allura was bringing up emotions Shiro didn't know he had. She had taken care of him when he had first landed on earth, and he had fallen for her. It hadn’t been a hard choice really, he knew she probably didn’t care for him like that – what with that Lotor character all over her. He had wished he _was_ Galran, so he could have the same kind of relationship with Allura that Keith had with Lance – one that was all encompassing.

But he didn’t, so instead he let himself crush on her quietly, and watch her from the side.

Getting up, he put his cup next to Lance in the sink and peered out of the window, to the shadow of the huge Galran cruiser ship in the seabed outside. Though it had been cloaked, it was still there, a reverberated shadow among the darkness of the murky waters.

They had bigger things to worry about, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuuuun.  
> Ahem.  
> A little Shallura to soothe ones soul. (Honestly, I love Shadam, and hated the whole...ending -- the last few seasons did not happen) but I've always loved the dynamic Shiro and Allura share.  
> It's in the tags, if you don't like it, I am sorry. (not sorry)


	40. Chapter 40

Lance was sitting in the middle of a war zone.

Well, at least that’s what if felt like. Everything was happening so quickly, that Lance felt like he was getting whiplash with every new thing that came around the corner. How had he gotten from taking a rest after a long, tiring day to becoming a soulmate to an alien prince in just a few hours?

There was an _actual alien in his bedroom;_ one who was injured, so exhausted and sad, an alien who didn’t know what to do. His poor Keith was so pitiful right now, Lance wanted to wrap him up in the softest of blankets and run his fingers through those dark locks and pretty cat like ears.

No…not _his_ Keith.

Oh, who was he kidding, this was _his Keith._ The alien was his soulmate, a part of him. He always was, and always would be. A part inside Lance, somewhere deep inside, had already admitted and accepted Keith as his. But to say that out loud? Lance wasn’t sure that would happen any time soon.

He could remember the look on Keith’s face when he had wrapped himself up in Lance’s blankets, those yellow eyes wide with fear, and his ears drooping down. Lance was going to destroy whatever monster had done this to him. He _had._ He had shot a bullet straight through that gigantic Galran alien. He hadn’t known just what had come over him then. He had just seen his soulmate grabbed by the alien, and the discarded gun on the ground. He had just reacted, lifting the gun, aiming and shooting.

Zarkon was next.

But he’d have to postpone his plan of Armageddon on the dead man walking until later. Because right now, Lance had bigger things to worry about.

Like being the soulmate of an alien prince.

Sure, Lance had some experience dating other people, and he had experience talking to people who didn’t know his language. He had also had a lot of experience taking care of people. He looked after his little siblings and his nieces and nephews. He knew how to survive the scary world out there. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

But even with all of that experience, could Lance really chose Keith as his one and only, as the ‘be all end all’ soulmate?

He needed to think.

God, he was exhausted as well. Today had just taken its toll on his body. Everything had gotten a lot scarier. He didn’t…his entire life…Lance didn’t know what to do. Keith had looked at him, the way his eyes had brightened. His heart palpitated; he knew Keith was a lot more to him than he had initially thought the alien prince to be. Lance _wanted_ to take care of Keith, to protect him, to keep him safe, to love him.

But… _soulmates?_

Damn it. Lance was a coward.

It hurt to consider a life without the prince in it – which was god damn weird, because they had only just met – and it hurt to be around Keith as well. Keith was so bright, brighter than the sun. Too beautiful for Lance, too strong and so awe some. It was hard to look at him, but it was even harder to look away. He felt like he was going to go blind with those yellow eyes.

He’d admit it. There was definitely an attraction there, the kiss was still so strong in his mind, so wonderful and slick and hot. And that bite… _wow_. But all he knew right now was the battle inside him. His heart was telling him to return to his room, to fall back into bed, wrap his arms around his petty alien prince and get a few hours of much needed sleep.

They both needed it.

But the voice inside his head was telling him to leave. These emotions weren’t right. This was a _prince,_ actual real life royalty, _of an entire planet._ He was so much more than Lance. The voice was telling him how unworthy, how pathetic, how stupid he was. It told him to get as far away from this situation, from the prince, as he possibly could.

He knew he shouldn’t, his heart was pounding, screaming ‘stay, stay, stay’. And he knew he should listen. But he could fathom why his hands reached for his jacket instead of the bed covers, why he shrugged it on and walked out of the house, instead of falling back into bed with his chiikoi.

He just…he had to _think._

He was a coward.

Sneaking passed Shiro in the kitchen, seeing the man was rummaging through the cupboards for something, and he pulled the back door open and stepped out onto the lanai. There was no need to tell Shiro anything, not until he himself knew what he was feeling.

The half hidden ship in the distance made him shudder, it was impossible to see unless you knew it was there – and lance _knew_ it was there. It was dead in the water, he knew that, he had _done_ that. So he rushed as far from it as he could. He walked along the well-worn path he always took to the small secluded spot just at the back of the stretch of beach behind his house. When he was far enough, he slumped down onto the sand and looked up to the darkened sky.

His fingers dug into the sand, he just needed a few moments to think, to figure things out. He’d just go out, get some fresh air, and wonder what the fuck was going on with his life, and then he’d come back to his house and finally have some sense of semblance.

_Fuck._

The sea bed and beach was surprisingly empty, despite the early morning. But Lance didn’t complain. He sucked in a deep breath and took in the drone of the sea, letting it soothe him, like it always did. Except…this time it wasn’t helping.

He didn’t feel the usual calm he got from this spot, secluded and slightly cool from the night sky. He didn’t feel the quiet peacefulness of the waves, the tranquillity of the deep.

Nothing.

Lance had been sitting there for a good few minutes before his heart started to ache. It was a dull pounding that reverberated into his rib cage. The kind of ache that was easy to feel throbbing behind his eyes. In his sleep addled fatigue, his heart was winning.

Keith was _his._

_He was Keith’s soulmate._ An _alien prince’s_ soulmate! Oh god, what if he had done something wrong already? What if he had acted out of decorum or whatever? What if…by staying with Keith, he hurt him or what if Keith started to hate him? He was feeling a panic attack rise inside him. His fingers clenched tighter to the sand, digging up more and more of the cool sand in his fingernails.

No…Keith could handle himself. He’d be just fine. They’d get through this as well. He was sure of it.

Right?

God he was tired, he needed to rest.

Lance slumped back onto the cool sand, holding his hand over his eyes to block out the slowly rising sunlight, trying to come to terms with what was happening. Keith…Keith was _his soulmate._

God the concept was still scary. Could he really do it? Could he really listen to his heart and do everything that he had wanted to do ever since he saw Keith in that star? His heart, that was now telling him he was an idiot for leaving the prince, _an injured prince,_ alone in his bed like some cheap one night stand.

That was some poor form for a boyfriend that was for sure.

He was terrified; he knew he was going to mess something up. What if everything went up in flames? Just a few hours of knowing the prince had caused an entire ship full of aliens at their back door. What if something worse happened? What were they going to do then? What if his stupid heart wanted more? More than just what they were doing now. Lance was ready for a relationship, committing to someone who understood him, _really_ understood him. There weren't many people out there who could take him head on and win. Except...well, except Keith.

And the prince didn’t even _speak_ the same language.

But, he knew, when all of this was over and done with. Lance couldn’t just go back to the way things were. What if Keith decided he wanted to leave? What if…what if he never came back? What if the last thing Lance ever said to him was something stupid? Oh god…what if Lance never got to see those beautiful purple and yellow eyes, and that amazing smile. What if he never got to hear the way he spoke in that wondrous language?

No…stop thinking like that. Keith was fine. He was at home, safe. He wasn’t going anywhere. Yes…Lance was going to do this. He was going to be the chiikoi Keith needed him to be. There was so much Keith needed, Lance could tell.

After giving him a bath, he knew Keith was expecting _more_ now. Lance too, would not be able to deny his feeling for the prince. There was no use in hiding it now, not now that Keith _knew._ Lance could feel that emotion growing inside him when he thought of Keith. That odd, foreign feeling, the one he now knew was the bond he and Keith shared.

Chiikoi…it happened whenever Keith touched him, every time those thin fingers grasped at his skin, Lance felt like he had been lit on fire. The burning might not have shown, but every time he tried to take a breath, it was like there was ash in his lungs, like he was suffocating.

He was turning into a sap. But, he wasn’t going to deny it anymore.

But what now? What was he going to do?

His thoughts were interrupted by the tinny sound of a pop song riff. His phone. Right, that must be his mami trying to find out where he had gone. He reached into his pocket for his phone and held it to his ear. “Hey, mami, I just went out to get some air,”

“Well hello to you too,” Shiro’s voice said through the phone.

Lance sat up suddenly. “Sorry, Shiro. I thought it was my mami,” he ran his hands over his face, forcing himself to be more alert. Shiro wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important. “Everything alright?”

“Actually,” Shiro said, the strain of concern was deep in his dad-like voice. “I need to you to come home,”


	41. Chapter 41

Shiro didn’t know what he was going to do.

He hadn’t expected Keith to come down from his rest so soon. The prince needed time to rest, to recuperate. He had exacerbated his fresh wound so easily. He was going to make it worse. Shiro hadn’t heard the clacking sound of the walking stick against the tile and carpet. He had been so lost in thought, so deep in his mind, thinking of everything that had been happening.

He needed to be a good father-figure to Keith now.

He had looked after younger Galran cubs, the children of the castle and the kingdom of Daibazaal Prime. He knew how to take care of those who were distraught, scared, or hurt. But, in the end, those children usually went back home to their parents. And it wasn’t like Shiro was a caregiver to them.

Keith was different. He was older now, he had his own life, his own thoughts. He didn’t need Shiro to take care of him. He hadn't back at the palace, and he definitely did not now. But right now was different, Keith didn’t know where he was, or what to do. He didn't know the language, and he definitely didn't know what to expect next. Shiro would have to feed him, take care of him, make sure he was happy and healthy.

But wait, did _he_ have to do all of that? Now that Keith had Lance, had his chiikoi, he probably wouldn’t want Shiro around him. They were  _lovers, soulmates._

Shiro knew what he had to do. He would continue to care for Keith as best as he could while Lance and Keith learned more about one another, and got to that point in their relationship where they would no longer need to worry about anything but one another. But would everything be the same as it had been back at Daibazaal, or would everything be different now? It _had_ been over ten thousand years since he had seen his charge, his _brother._

_Of course it would be different._ Shiro reprimanded himself. They wouldn’t be able to do the same things they did before. His poor brother had lost a leg. They’d need to care for that first. And Shiro was the best one to understand.

He let his head fall back on the chair rest, glancing up at the ceiling he let out a long sigh. The coffee had done its work, he wasn’t as sleepy as he had first been when he stepped into the kitchen. Well, he might as well think about getting breakfast prepared.

Getting up, he started rummaging through the cupboards and the fridge. He had been in this house many times before to know where everything was. Allura had asked him to do his physical therapy with her at the house – he didn’t really remember when he had agreed, but something about hospitals had made him uneasy – when he had met Elena McClain, she had welcomed him with open arms and that was pretty much all there was to it.

The pantry was packed out with food, as he had expected with Mami Elena, but he wasn’t sure what half of the ingredients were. Instead, he picked something he knew how to make, something easy, that required little ingredients. He’d have to try making something healthy, the quickest way to get better was to get some rest and eat well. Keith was resting now, and with the rest of the McClain clan doing the same, he was sure they’d all be hungry soon. And once Keith was healed enough and ready, they would need to work on the amputation, the prosthetic and that meant exercise.

Eggs.

He reached for some eggs, holding them in his hands and contemplated what to do with them. It’d be hospitable if he made a good breakfast for them all. After all, they were keeping him and Keith in their home. He cracked a few eggs into a bowl and started to whisk them, turning the hob on, he started to fry up some of the eggs, peering around to see what else he could add with it. He had spied bacon in the fridge, and had put a few pieces of bread in the toaster.

Perfect.

Falling into the routine of cooking, he hadn’t noticed the clacking of the walking stick, and the slight yawn that escaped from someone’s lips behind him. But he definitely heard the sound of Allura’s beautiful lilting voice coming from somewhere further away in the house.

“Keith, you shouldn’t be up and walking about,”

Turning, Shiro saw Keith standing at the doorway, being held up by Allura, rubbing his tired, golden eyes. Lance’s hoodie swamping around his body, sleeves too long even though Keith was taller than them both, he was lither. But Lance had wider shoulders, so the jumpers swallowed him.  

“ _Morning,_ Shiro?” Keith’s voice was gritted with sleep, low and throaty. “ _Where is Lance?”_

Shiro placed the bowl onto the table, wiping his hands on his jeans. “ _I thought he had returned to you, was he not in bed?_ ”

“ _He wasn't there when I woke up,_ ” Keith muttered, stepping down the two steps and into the kitchen area, dragging Allura with him. He winced at the cold against his foot and wrapped his arms around himself.  _"He hasn't been in bed at all since last night,"_

Shiro chuckled, he looked like a small cub. “ _I’m sure he’s around here somewhere,_ ”

“ _I can’t…feel him around,_ ” Keith murmured with a barely there pout, gripping tight on Allura as she slowly helped him into the room. He still wasn’t completely used to the walking aids it seemed. “ _He’s not here_ ,”

“ _I saw him this morning, but…_ Have you seen Lance?” Shiro asked Allura, reaching for the prince and helping move him into one of the tables’ chairs.

Allura shook her head. “No, not since last night,”

_“He’s gone, hasn’t he?”_ Keith’s eyes were ablaze with worry. _“He didn’t want this, so he’s gone away,”_

_Oh quiznak._ This was what Shiro had expected. He knew his talk with Lance must have scared the younger man away for now. He knew Lance needed a moment to himself. But he had left so abruptly. Shiro wasn’t sure _where_ he had gone. He had thought Lance had returned back to Keith. He really was an idiot to think that was the case after dropping a bomb like _soulmates_ onto the poor human.

Right now, Keith was worried, and anxious, fretting about his chiikoi. Shiro hadn’t expected it to happen this quickly though. It was a worrying concept to know they had gotten so close in so little time. Why hadn’t Lance gone to his bedroom, where he said Keith had been sleeping, where had the human run off to now?

 

 

Lance’s thoughts may have turned to the weird, but he knew he had a job to do now. One that he was surprisingly eager to get back to, now that he had no excuses.

Shiro had sounded so worried on the phone, and Lance knew instinctively that it was about Keith. Something must have happened while he had been away. But what? He said goodbye to Shiro on the phone and got up. Dusting the sand from his clothes, he made his way quickly back to his home. Pushing the gate to his boundary open, he rushed tentatively up the sandy lanai, darting a quick gaze back at the dead ship on the water, and wished and prayed that Keith was still asleep so they could brush thing whole thing off entirely.

But venturing into the house, he saw three bodies in the kitchen, two facing away from him and Shiro pouring juice into half empty glasses and handing them to the two.

Shiro looked up, with a angry expression on his face. Lance deserved that.

Oh god, Keith…

Keith was sitting at the table, his arms wrapped around his leg up at his chest, his ears drooping low and his long hair hiding his face. The food in front of him was untouched and his pretty purple and yellow eyes were downcast, lacking the lustre Lance had seen before. The purity, the heat, the trust, the _love_ for Lance.

Keith looked crestfallen, like a puppy waiting for its master to come home. And it was all Lance’s fault. He knew he had fucked up, but he had been afraid. He had needed a moment away to think, to come to terms with what was happening. He couldn’t have chosen a worse time to leave.

Keith had shown him so much, had offered himself up. He was vulnerable, had almost lost him, and had fought back to try to save him, and Lance had just… _left him._

_What had he done?_

Ignoring the others in the room, Lance rushed toward his prince and knelt down at the space next to him.

“Hey, chiikoi,”

The look on Keith’s face when he saw Lance would forever be etched in Lance’s memory. Those pretty eyes lit up, his smile widened and shone so brightly, it made Lance want to smile too.

“I am so sorry for leaving you,” he said, needing to apologise and hoping that his intent would at least make it through. He needed Keith to understand just how sorry he was. He was never going to do that again.

_“You left me,”_ Keith’s words may not have made sense, but the way he said it, the ice cold feel of his hands against Lance’s own. _“You don’t want me, you_ never _wanted me.”_

Lance didn’t understand, but he reached out to tighten his grip on Keith’s hands, hoping that it showed more than just a joining of their fingers. He wanted the touch to interlock them to one another, to intertwine their lives.

Keith yanked his hands free and spoke, words so fresh and strong in a language Lance understood as clear as a bell. It brought a spear right through Lance’s heart, stabbing and cracking it in two.

“You left me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh. The angst on this one.


	42. Chapter 42

Lance couldn’t sleep.

He laid his head back on the hard chair of the kitchen’s dining table, a small pile of books sitting on the desk in front of him. He had one opened on the table, the stark white pages showing a rough sketch of the anatomy of a fighter jet. He thought it would be a good idea to brush up on his pilot and aeronautical skills; after all, they were going to venture _into_ the dead ship tonight – without Keith. But it was stupid to think a human craft could compare to something like that.

But…what else could he do? He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there, but he knew hours had to have passed. His gaze darted to the door leading to the hallway, to the stairs leading up to the top floor, to the bedroom. To where the prince was currently sleeping.

A prince...who though Lance had left him.

Everything had happened so quickly, Lance hadn’t had a chance to think. But now that he had a moment to rest, his thoughts started to wander.

Keith thought he had left him.

Lance couldn’t believe it. He had only gone out for the night and most of the morning. Sure he had left Keith all alone in his bed, tucked in nice and warm after showering him and taking care of him. Then again, maybe Keith _wasn’t_ thinking absurdly. Lance _had_ seen Keith naked – well, not _all_ naked, but naked enough. They hadn’t kissed, or been intimate or anything, everything had been clinical, everything had been rushed. And then Lance had put him in bed, gotten in with him when he had asked, and then, in the middle of the night, he had just…left.

Fuck, Keith must feel like some cheap one night stand. No wonder he was so cranky right now. No wonder he had thought Lance had _left him._

Lance _had_ left him.

He was hurt, alone, in a world he didn’t know. And Lance had _left_ him.

He remembered the one time when he was a little kid, he had gone to a carnival with his family. A horde of people had come between them, making him lose his grip on his mami’s hands. He remembered the utter fear that ran through him in those short moments before his older sister had found him crying in the corner with one of his neighbours, gripping onto them as they say on a bench, trying to hush him as he wailed for his mami.

Only ten minutes had passed and he had felt like his heart had been ripped out of him. And at least then he was in his own city, his own country, hell his own world. Everyone _knew_ who he was. Everyone knew the McClain’s; the neighbour had spotted him and had called their mami right away to tell them where he was.

But to think…from what Lance had overheard and understood, he knew there was no more Galran planet. He knew that Shiro was the only person who spoke Galran-speak like Keith did. He also knew there was nowhere else Keith could go.

And  _damn it,_ Lance couldn't help but think he was a complete and utter dumbass.

But what he did know,  _he didn't know why,_ but Lance knew that as soon as he saw his chiikoi, saw the tears and unadulterated  _trust_  Keith had in Lance from the first moment they had met. That he would not be able to do anything but gather the smaller man up in his embrace and keep him safe.

What was happening to him?

He didn’t know what it was, and _why_ he was feeling this way. It would be so easy to sneak up on the prince while he slept – God, Keith was still here, resting, _sleeping –_ and just cage him away from the world. If anyone else found out Lance was harbouring an alien, they’d do anything they could to get to Keith and experiment on him, _god,_ they might even dissect him!

Shit and Lance had left him to that. Those thoughts, those awful, awful feelings,

_No. Keith was safe. Keith was alive._

Well, almost. Lance still didn't understand just how Keith was here. Where had he been this whole time? How long had he been drifting in space, in that star. They had met Shiro two years ago. Had Keith been held prisoner in that star all of these years?

Oh god, time ran differently in space, he knew this from his classes with Professor Coran. It must have felt like centuries to the prince. How had he gotten into the star in the first place? It had seemed so much smaller than the prince himself, he had been cramped in there. It had looked like a coffin.

No wonder Keith was the way he was now.

Lance raised his hands up to the ceiling, staring at them. He could still feel the warmth of his soulmate in them, the fissure of warmth lingering like pinpricks on his skin. The silky memory of Keith’s skin firm against his palm, the stringy, soft hair on the pads of his fingers. It was like lightning, and Lance itched to feel that sensation again.

God. He was turning into a sap.

Lance couldn’t remember the last time he had felt like this. He didn’t think he ever did. Whatever was happening went against everything he believed in. Soulmates weren’t real. It was just some imaginative made up thing for people to eat up and fantasise about.

But here he was. And Lance was glad for it. He hadn’t been wrong when he said he’d find out who did this to the prince and destroy them. If it  _was_ that Zarkon dude, then Lance would do everything in his power to destroy him.

Lance paused as realisation hit him full force.

He'd face his own nightmares to keep the prince safe. He didn’t understand why he was getting so attached to the prince now. Had it been the complete and utter trust he saw in the aliens golden eyes? Or was it the fact that Keith relied on Lance, had wanted  _Lance_ to hold him, to help him, to keep him safe _._

Keith, an amazing alien, who was so powerful, so fearless, so exalted, and he needed _him._ Lance, the boy with nothing to show for himself than pretty good flying skills.

Keith  _needed_ Lance.

And damn it if Lance didn't find purpose in his life because of that.

There was no denying that Lance had been attracted to Keith when they had first met, he may have blamed it on pheromones or whatever, but he knew the truth. Lance had seen Keith and felt a hot buzz run through him. A tingle that made him question his identity. He had been lost in Keith’s smile, the way his lips widened and his fangs glimmer, creating barely there dimples, a smile that made the alien’s eyes sparkle.

He was a prince, of a whole entire planet at that as well. But it didn’t matter. Lance knew then, he’d never fall for another person again. Not as much as he had for Keith. But now that he saw Keith again. Lance found himself craving that feeling again. Craving that warm buzz.

But, Lance found he craved that man in the most innocent of forms. He craved to say goodnight and give the innocent prince a kiss on his forehead, to tell Keith that he adored him and would do anything to protect him, to keep him safe. He didn’t understand why, but he just wanted to be next to Keith all the time. To make sure the prince was okay.

What was happening to him?

The ground below him suddenly started to rumble, as if it was the beginnings of an earthquake. Books and things shuddered and fell from their shelves, the lamp lights around him shattered one by one. Lance held onto the table to still himself, calling out to his family.

“Lance!” His mother’s yell from the hallway made Lance ricochet up, but that sound was followed by a high pitched screech.

The screech scored its way into Lance’s brain, making him see stars. He slammed his hands to his ears. What the hell was happening?

Remembering his mothers’ yell, he quickly dashed through the kitchen and towards his room. He stopped when he saw his mami with the littlest ones, cuddling her close as his niece was sitting on the ground before her own bedroom door, tears streaming down her face. His older sister was crouched before them, leaning on her in a hug, chest to chest, his hands covering her own ears.

His mami looked up and saw Lance, motioning for the bedroom door next to his own room.

Keith.

Lance was in like a shot; he pushed the door open, ready to fight whatever was hurting the prince. But the screeching had stopped. Everything was deathly silent now.

The ground was covered in a sea of books, the yellowing pages torn apart or ripped out completely. The shelves that housed them were completely empty. The lamp lights were shattered, as was the small circular mirror on the wall. There was glass littered all over the floor. In the centre of the room on the bed sat Keith, knees raised up, head hidden under his arms. The covers were strewn in a mad circle around him.

Keith peered up. His completely Galran gold eyes were soft and filled with so much fear and longing. And Lance knew, no matter what had happened, or was going to happen in the future. One look in those tear filled golden eyes and he was done for.

“Lance?”

In that moment he knew, whatever happened next, whatever they did or whatever they would be forced to do, he was completely gone.

Lance was Keith’s, and Keith’s alone.

“Don’t make me go back,” The words were barely a whisper, but Lance heard them loud and clear. He heard the ache and strain in Keith’s voice, the tears shedding like waterfalls down those reddened cheeks.

This wasn’t the first time Keith had said that.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chemo makes me lose my hair, up in here, up in here!  
> Thankfully its only radiation therapy, so its just like I'm shedding, not stressing and yanking hair out.  
> What whaaat...
> 
> Next chapter please!

“I don’t want to go back.”

Lance inched his way slowly to the alien sitting on his bed, darting around the broken bits and pieces of glass and paper. He didn’t know how Keith had done…this…but he wasn’t going to question it, because Keith looked so _frightened._

Lance stood in front of Keith, mere feet away from the bundled up prince, and held a hand out to him, not touching him, just hovering in front of him, read for Keith to take whenever he was ready.

Keith didn’t move, his head hidden behind his raised knees, arms clenched around his legs, nails digging into the flesh of his arms, drawing blood. He was muttering something and Lance knew in that moment he was having some kind of post traumatic flash back or something.

He didn’t know how to get him out of it.

What had caused him to go _into_ it?

“Keith,” Lance spoke softly, hands turned up in a submissive manner, as if he were approaching to comfort a feral animal. He guessed right now, he kind of was.

Keith said something in Galran, his eyes wide and shining golden bright. He spoke so fast, mouth moving quick and precisely. Lance really wished he understood just what it was Keith was saying, if only to help him.

Lance sucked in a breath, taking heed at the prince’s sonorous voice, he stood still in the middle of the chaos, unsure of what to do. He hadn’t ever gone through anything like this. Tantrums he could take, they were easy. He’d calm his siblings, spin a tale about whatever it was they were angry o upset about and then they’d be happy and safe.

But this? He didn’t even know what _this_ was.

This was different. He didn’t know what tale to spin to get Keith to stop his muttering, or at least help understand what he was going through. If those stories his abuelita told him were true, then Keith must have been through hell, he had seen his kingdom fall, his entire planet be obliterated. He had lost his entire family, his whole life. He had fallen and god only knew how he had gotten into that star in the first place, but it couldn’t have been willingly – Lance remembered the claw marks on the glass, the ones _inside_ the star.

Lance couldn’t relate. Instead he was just standing there, useless and frail as Keith’s voice increased, getting louder and louder until he was screaming.

“Keith,” he tried once again, stepping closer to the prince. He had to be careful, he knew his chiikoi needed to rest, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t just swipe his claws at Lance, forcing him away.

The prince looked up and narrowed his gaze, his yellow-rimmed eyes darkened with thick, wet, star like tears.

“Don’t make me go back,” he muttered again, his voice quaking, his entire body shaking. “ _I can’t go back there, please,”_

Lance felt his heart crumble. What had his little prince been through?

“Keith,” He tried, taking a cautious step forward. “It's me, _it's Lance. I’m your chiikoi,_ remember?”

“ _You're not real!_ _I’m still back there, this is all wrong,_ ” His sudden yell was followed by a rush of wind that pushed Lance back. Lance fell to the ground with a loud smack. Pain lacerated up his arm and he knew he’d have bruises. But he had been pushed and pulled by his siblings before, he’d been manhandled by his nieces and nephews alike, and they were much more powerful than this.

God, how tired was Keith?

With a pained groan, Lance sat up. Wincing, he looked at the damage to his arm, there were small pieces of glass embedded in the flesh, blood seeping down in small rivulets. Not as bad as he thought it would be.

Keith suddenly sat up, noticing the blood. He crawled to the edge of the bed to peer at the hunter. “ _No…no this isn’t…I can’t believe I hurt you,_ ” He replied quietly, “Lance, _I hurt you!_ ”

“I’m okay,” Lance groaned, shaking his head. Even though the push was weak, it still hurt like a bitch. “Really,” he repeated, strongly, looking up to the injured alien.

Keith tilted his head to one side, as if taking the new information in, but then shook his head. “ _No, this is what I feared. You’re so fragile, just a human, they’re going to tear us apart. But if I leave now, it won’t hurt you,”_ He retreated back to the safety of the bed, rolling back into a tight ball. “ _Quiznak, I’m such a dumbass, I_ have _to leave,”_

Lance clenched his eyes at the headache that was slowly forming. With a loud groan he stood up, bloodied hand leaning on the soft mattress and ruining the covers. God damn it, what was his little prince talking about now?

“Hey, Keith?” He said quietly, not wanting to frighten the prince any more. He hunched down on the side of the bed, looking away from the prince, not wanting to tower over him right at that moment. “Look, I might not know what you’re saying, but I know you’re hurting. Let me help you, _I am your chiikoi,”_

_“Stop saying that!”_ Keith’s shriek was followed by a silence that made Lance shiver.

He had just confessed his pent up feelings to the man, and he knew Keith didn’t understand him. What if Keith _never_ understood hi? What if he thought Lance was just some hook up on the side? Lance didn’t have to imagine what was going through the princes’ head. He had been thinking the same thing when he had left that morning.

God, this was going too fucking fast. And he still wasn’t sure what he was going to do.

He felt Keith’s fingers running feather light over his arm, and felt the electric heat of Keith’s touch on his skin. Electric sparks seized up his skin like bolts of lightning, causing goose bumps to erupt on Lance's arm.

Oh...wow.

“Will you let me help you?” Lance asked, peering up slowly to the smaller man.

Keith shook his head, his voice laced with uncertainty. “ _I need to get better, Lance. I need to get that new leg, and train and then I’m going to destroy Zarkon, and when I do…I’m going to—_ ”

Lance cut the prince off and took his outstretched hand, pressing Keith’s smaller palms to his heart.

“Feel that?” Keith clenched his fingers against his shirt, feeling the warmth and heavy thu-thump of Lance’s heart beating. “This is me, right here, right now. _I am your chiikoi._ I need you to get better, let me take care of you,”

He knew the feelings running through Keith’s eyes at that moment, the uncertainty of his surroundings, the disbelief that he was free. The doubt. He could feel it, Keith was revelling in it. He didn’t believe Lance was here, that he was real.

But Lance was here, he was going to be with Keith through the pain, the hurt.

“You are safe, Keith.” He said, pulling the smaller man closer, wrapping his arms tightly around him. “There’s nothing chasing you, nothing following you. You are real, you are  _free_. I promise.”

Keith slithered his arms around Lance’s neck and straddled over his lap, holding him just as tightly. Lance couldn’t compare anything to the feeling he was feeling right at that moment, his little chiikoi sitting on his lap. Just Keith wrapping himself around Lance, face buried in his chest, clutching onto him so tightly. Lance rubbed his back, gently rocking back and forth while pressing his lips onto the smaller mans’ hair.

He knew Keith needed this, now more than ever. The need to feel safe, to feel secure, to feel innocent, and to feel loved. He needed someone to nurture him, to protect him and be his emotional rock.

Lance felt the immense trust Keith had for him, the immense love that radiated from the smaller being. And at that moment Lance was willing to give his little prince everything.

“I’m here to protect you,” Lance whispered into his hair, rocking the alien back and forth on the bed. “You are safe with me, dulzura.”

“ _I’m going to do this_ , Lance” Keith muffled into his chest, making the human smile.

Lance tightened his grip on his chiikoi, murmuring into his twitching ears. “We’ll do this together,”

Lance’s smile broke when he felt something slick and slimy wrap around his waist, slithering up to his chest, wrapping around his body and yanking him away from his soulmate. He tried to cry out, but that slimy tendril slapped onto his mouth, muffling to voice.

Looking up, he saw Keith had something thick and black wrapped around his body, squeezing and contorting his body tightly. He could see another two slimy _things_ erupt from somewhere on the ground, wrapping around Keith and dragging him down to the ground. They wrapped around Keith’s mouth too, stopping him from screaming.

His claws and fangs bit and dug into the tendrils, but they didn’t do any damage. The tendrils tightened, so tight that Keith’s skin was turning a paler shade of purple. Then came the blood; slick, thick rivulets of starry red slipped and slithered free from Keith’s body, falling in thick lines to the ground. Keith hit the floor hard, tendrils wrapping around him more and more until he was buried in them.

Lance tried to scream, tried to wriggle free. He needed to get to Keith, he needed to save his chiikoi. He cried out around the tentacle muffling his mouth. Thankfully, the heavy thudding and movement called the others around the house.

But by the time they had come, he tendrils had dragged Keith from across the room and out of the window. Lance’s last sight of his chiikoi was Keith’s yellowing eyes gazing at him with such fear, tears escaping from the corners of his eyes as he struggled.

No… _no, no, no, no, no_ …

“Keith!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why am I like this?
> 
> Don't worry, this is where we get more into the HTTYD aspect of the story. Promise.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm sorry for not updating yesterday.  
> I had gotten the mother of all migraines (which I still have today) so it took me two days to write this chapter.  
> So I'm sorry!  
> Your comments really made my day, however. So thank you for that!
> 
> Here's the next chapter my lovelies!

“Keith!”

The tentacles and tendrils slid off Lance, following the others and slipped out of his bedroom window. Lance dropped unceremoniously onto the ground, but he didn’t care, he just reacted, vaulting up and throwing his body out of the window after the tendrils that took his soulmate.

He wasn’t able to get very far, as Shiro’s arms wrapped around his waist, the metal tight and harsh on his middle as he yanked Lance back into the room.

“Let me go!” Lance growled, scratching and digging his nails into the metal of Shiro’s arm. “I got to go! Let me—Shiro!”

Shiro turned and forced Lance into his sisters’ arms. Allura wrapped her arms around him, while his mother made her way into the room behind them, making sure they were all okay.

“Veronica, I need you to take your family far away from here,” Shiro said commandingly. “It’s not safe here,”

Veronica nodded, wrapping her arms around her shuddering mother and the little ones. “Tio Pietro’s house is an hours’ drive away, we should be safe there,”

“Good, get going now,” Shiro replied, turning to the door. He was quick when Lance broke from Allura’s hold and made his way back out to the window. He wrapped an arm around Lance’s chest and dragged him back to his chest. “Acting rashly won’t save your chiikoi, think logically.”

“He…Shiro please, he was hurt, he’s _still hurt,”_ Lance started rambling, peering out to the window, seeing the slick and thick trail of blood on his window pane, trailing over the lanai’s roof and along a thick, deep path on the sand. “I can’t. I need him to be safe, I need him,”

Shiro placed his hand on Lance’s arm, hoping to placate his shivering and shuddering body. The boy was filled with rampant nervous energy; one that would only be dispelled when Keith was back in his arms.

“We’ll get him back,” Shiro said so strongly, with such confidence that no one could go against him. Lance stilled at that, and nodded.

They left the family to pack all the essentials and leave the house for safety as soon as possible. His mother stopped him, coming out from her room. She wrapped her arms around him and patting him close and manoeuvring him to the empty hallway.

“You go, and take this with you,” she murmured, handing him a small cloth covered item, pushing it to his chest. “I trust you know what to do,”

Lance unravelled the cloth and almost tossed the item back at his mother. A gun, his mother had given him a gun. “What are you doing with this?”

“It was never a safe neighbourhood mijo,” She replied, instinctively knowing that was one of his worries. “Now go, save your boy, I want you both back safe,”

Lance nodded, checking the bullets in the gun and slipping it into the belt of his jeans. He really did not want to know why and how his mother had gotten a gun, but right now he was glad to have one. His mami was a mystery; that was for sure.

He followed Shiro and Allura, meeting Pidge and Hunk in the living room, and together they made their way out of the lanai. The sun was slowly setting on another lovely day, but Lance growled in anger.

The reds of the skies speckled the hidden ship standing stagnant in the water before them. He growled at the thick indent of iridescent black and red on the ground, knowing his chiikoi had struggled and bled as he was dragged through the sand and into the ship.

He should have known it wasn’t safe. He wasn’t going to make that mistake again. Keith was not going _anywhere_ away from him now _._

Lance felt the familiar pull at his heart and suddenly he was following his friends into the ship. It was completely empty and pitch black. There wasn’t a soul in sight.

“Alright guys,” Shiro said quietly, taking the lead as he made his way through the ship, the torch he had picked up from the kitchen drawers held up to light the dark. “Keep your eyes and ears peeled, we don’t know what’s out there,”

Hunk held his hand to his hip, over his own torch. “Maybe they’re having a cigarette break?”

“Not funny.” Allura murmured, walking over to one of the corridors to see a huge pile of black dust on the chair. She reached for it, but was stopped by Pidge.

“I…wouldn’t,” They stated, scanning the dust with whatever device they had in their hands, it was small, shaped like a thick pencil and it beeped with a weak green light. They took a quick check of the readings and pulled Allura behind them. “Yeah, I figured out why it’s so dark.”

Lance turned, interested to know how an eclipse could happen in the middle of the day, and to only one area.

“Don’t breathe in too deeply,” Pidge grimaced, holding a tongue out. “Don’t want you sucking in alien ashes.”

Lance gagged, the dark mist that surrounded them was alien ash? “That is just sick.”

Shiro brushed away at the ash and saw weapons buried under it. He lifted a gun and threw it to Lance and Hunk. He brushed a few more areas and found what looked to be a sword and a whip and handed them to Pidge and Allura in turn. Finding a gun a few feet away, he reached for that and held it to his chest.

He was feeling a little better now that they were all armed.

The five heard a cry of pain followed by something thudding to the ground in a hallway a few feet away. A circle of light appeared a few feet away, like torchlight.

Shiro held the gun out, pulling Allura behind him as he followed the sound. He turned his head slightly to the sound, trying to figure out what it was, but the heavily misted darkness obscured his vision.

Lance’s dark eyes narrowed as he spun around and pulled out his gun, shooting into darkness surrounding him, a spear of fire shot out and stabbed the mist. Satisfied with the two shrieks, the dust swirled around his shot and two broken sentries dropped to the ground a few feet away.

“I’m getting real tired of these guys.” His amorous voice silenced the area around him, he slandered through the room, hoping that he wouldn’t run into any more sentries. He didn’t want his chiikoi in any more danger than they already were.

The mist slowly cleared away and a good twenty inhumanly broken and blackened sentries appeared. They surrounded the five, lit up eyes contrasting greatly against the darkness that suddenly raided over the mist.

“For fucks sakes,” Lance muttered, reaching for his guns once again. He stood back to back with Shiro, aiming and shooting heated lasers at the sentries, not waiting for them to fall before going for the next ones.

“Language!” Shiro growled. The sentries accumulated around him and dived towards him. He leapt into the air, pulling his guns out and started shooting.

Pidge cut through the ones that came to them, the sword sparking up, but cutting through the sentries like butter. Hunk faired too well, aiming and shooting in quick succession, keeping Pidge’s back covered. Allura triangle them, the crack of her whip loud against the ground and the sentries as she destroyed them one by one.

One by one, the sentries jumped, and one by one, they fell. Once all of the sentries were shot, they heaped against the floor in a morbid mechanical hill. The dissipating smoke that rose from the ground to the diminishing fog around them.

“Yup, really starting to hate them,” Lance muttered, placing his gun to his chest, ready to point it at their next victim and shoot. Though deep down he knew this was something so morbid, killing people without a second thought -- not people, robots. These were  _robots._ Well, though it made it better, it didn't stop Lance from feeling guilty for the _blood_ shed.

Then again, they had kidnapped and hurt his prince, his soulmate, _his chiikoi._ They all deserved to go down.

The five ventured deeper into the ship. They had to find Keith. Lance growled when he spotted familiar blots and puddles of blood on the ground and against the walls, _oh god, that was a hand print_ on the door.

“Is that…?” Allura muttered, hearing a rustling of leaves.

Lance didn’t let her go first, instead he pushed open the door, and let out a shocked breath.

Mesmerising! That was the only way to describe it. It didn’t look like the control room any more, more like a beautiful jungle. A stone pathway stood before them, leading to an opening at the opposite side of the cave, bordered by cornflowers, foxgloves, and many other flowers that she couldn't name. Large rose bushes grew wildly on the walls at the edge and in the garden-room itself. Stone arches rose out of the wall and ended on portions of pillars that had honeysuckle vines clinging to them. There were trees of cherry blossoms and peonies that were just blooming. In the very centre of the garden was a pond that boasted many types of water plants and water lilies. 

Above the pond, was Keith, tied to one of the pillars, bloody and beaten, unconscious.

Lance saw red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (sings I need a hero!)  
> Oh yes, my blue boy. You go save your love!


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yes.  
> Yesterday was a bad day for me.  
> Hospital appointments and the mother of migraines.  
> So I made today's update extra long, enough to take two chapters, I think.

“Keith!”

Lance’s yell echoed around the makeshift meadow. It had to be some kind of illusion, there was no way there was a real life meadow with a brilliant moon and equally as astonishing stars twinkling above them. The trees swayed in the unseen breeze, the flowers glowing – actually glowing – in the moonlight.

But none of that mattered to Lance.

He took one step onto the soft, and surprisingly spongy, grass at his feet, and felt a familiar sunshine heat envelope around him. Seeing that he himself was not in any immediate danger, he called for Keith’s name, hoping to rouse his chiikoi.

But Keith didn’t move, he just hung there, head lolled forward, body slung against the whatever it was pole, tree, ay dios, he wasn’t sure, it rooted up from the ground like a tree but its branches, leaves and canopy was pure starlight.

Shiro grabbed him before he could get any further, dragging him back and away from the grass and up into the air.

“Stay still,” He growled to the others. “There’s something here,”

The five nodded, stilling their movements, stiffening against whatever it was that was coming to oppose them.

There was a distinct rustling of something in the corner of the room, something _big_ and long. It seemed to circle around them in slow and even movements, as if it knew exactly where it was going.

It may have been big, but it was loud, so it was easy for the five to pinpoint exactly where it was and when it would most likely attack them. Waiting on bated breath, Shiro nodded to Lance and ushered the others to the corners of the room, keeping their movements slow and steady.

There was terror in Hunk’s eyes, but beneath that terror was intrigue, interest. Pidge looked exactly the same, except they looked like they were calculating the moves, taking in the foliage and forestry to get the best method – that was so Pidge.

Allura, his dear sister, looked excited. Determination painted a pretty picture on her features, but she was also steady, wrapping the cord of the whip around her palm. But it was her eyes, they were filled with fire.

Maybe…maybe they _could_ do this!

He felt the heat of the gun his mami gave him on his hip, but the blaster in his hand felt so much better, it was light, versatile and it _looked_ more like a psychedelic nerf gun than anything else. It _almost_ lessened the impact that Lance was using the weapon to actually physically kill people. Well, robots. Though he wasn’t sure just _what_ Sendak was.

He was getting off topic. His head felt muddled, and though he could clearly see his poor prince up there, just a few feet away, he knew the monster in the forest was watching. Maybe it was waiting for them to go to Keith, maybe it had booby trapped the whole area?

Who knew? But Lance was not going to leave where without Keith.

The rustling came from their left. Allura shivered behind Shiro, being the closest to the noise, raising her whip up and turning around to face the noise. He really hoped she’d be able to protect herself if she needed to. She had done so well so far.

He needed to save Keith.

They waited in impatient silence, not a single word was uttered. Lance held onto his breath, hoping that the monster, or whatever it was, would show up already.

“I’ve got you now,”

Oh, that didn’t sound right at all. The voice was watery, like it was speaking through bubbles, like its mouth was full of water.

A swift gust of cool air breezed past them, ruffling at their hair and clothes. Lance peered his eyes, forcing them closed when the breeze increased in intensity. Once it died down, he peeked over to the others and gasped.

Stood in front of them was Sendak. Except not. This Sendak was pure white in colour, covered in broken and bruised armour, a mishmash of welded parts and wires. The metal creaked and groaned as he stood there. His eyes, however, were completely blank; the yellow was dull and weak. There was no life in them whatsoever. But they still moved, running over the five of them, one by one.

“What the fuck is that?” Hunk whispered harshly.

Lance shrugged his shoulders. “I thought I killed him!”

“You should have stabbed me a little _harder,_ human.” He mused, his voice sounding garbled, like he was drowning. When the starry red seeped out from his lips, Lance knew something was wrong. Was he _actually_ drowning in his own blood there? Had he turned into a zombie or something? Or was he just a pawn to the actual monster in the room?

“Put down your weapons, _all of you,_ ”

Lance leered at the alien, knowing that this was not their main fight. Sendak’s body was just a puppet, something to distract them while the real monster went after them.

“Alright, Gandalf,” Lance said slowly, he turned to the others, winking at them, and then lowered himself into a crouch. He put the phaser onto the ground and held his hands up in the air. He saw the others do the same, trusting him. “There, see…we’re all unarmed,”

The zombie Sendak nodded, taking a shuddering step forward. But Lance was much quicker. He slipped his hands behind him pushed his jacket up, flaring its back and reached for the gun. He held the gun up to the zombie, aiming the barrel at him. The shot fired, ploughing through the air and slamming straight into Sendak’s head. The alien dropped back with the force of the attack.

Lance smirked coyly as dust and debris rose to the air. Once the dust cleared way, he gasped. Sendak was _still there._ Except now there was a small crater in his face. Biotechnological sparks coming from his head.

“Oh my god! Zombie!” Hunk cried, grabbing his phaser from the ground and holding it up to the alien.

Lance held his hand out to the man, stopping them. He looked around the room. “I know you’re out there, show yourself,”

The watery gurgling sound came again, followed by a heavy rustling all around them. Shit, this was a lot worse than he initially thought.

“How _big_ is this thing?” Allura murmured around them, reaching for her weapon. There was no need to be weapon-less now; the thing knew they weren’t to be trusted.

Wincing, Lance growled. “What, you can’t come fight us yourself? Can’t take us on yourself so you get your little puppet to do it for you?”

“Don’t make it angry!” Hunk yelled, pushing himself up.

“There is nothing we can do if we can’t _see_ it,” Shiro whispered loudly, praising Lance on his tactics. The guy was a great strategist when he wanted to be.

Sendak raised his hand up, palm outstretched and smiled at them. Lance’s eyes widened as he stood before them.

“You won’t get away…” He muttered. A sudden gust of wind rushed from behind them, pulling the three into the gaping hole just behind Sendak’s body. However, the alien himself did not move, as if he were rooted to the ground itself.

“Is that an actual quiznacking black hole?” Pidge growled and held their gun out. But the vaccuum was strong, they gripped onto Lance's waist, while Lance gripped tight onto Allura's arm, who had her arms wrapped tight around Shiro's middle, who had gripped on to Hunk's leg, who had a solid grip around a thick tree trunk. What the hell were they going to do now?

Allura was quick to move, taking right hold of Shiro's arm, wrapping her hand around the thickness of his arm, her other hand free, she reached for her weapon on her person. The whip cracked in the air and slid around Sendak’s arm, yanking it down before they were sucked in. The sudden move caused a sphere of air to erupt around them, followed by an unearthly crack from somewhere behind Sendak.

The all fell to the ground in a heap. But Lance now knew where the monster was.

While Sendak was busy, he dropped down onto the ground, reaching for his blaster that had been shoved to the corner of the room by the vacuum black hole. Grasping at the trigger, he aimed five clear shots towards the darkness of the forestry behind Sendak. A stream of energy wrapped around the trees, slipping open wide and creating a net like shape. Lightning fissured from the net and slammed forcefully into the monster.

Sendak screamed, blood seeping from his already dead mouth. He dropped to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. The air around them whipped at the earth underneath them. The monster in the forest erupted into a fantastic pile of gold dust.

Silence.

“Everyone okay?” Shiro asked, stumbling to a stand.

Lance nodded and rushed over to Keith, untying him. His prince was still unconscious, blood was seeping sluggishly from his body, pooling slick onto the ground. His skin was extremely pale as well.

“Oh, my poor _tesoro,”_ Lance cooed, slowly and carefully unravelling the slick with blood binds that held him up to the tree. Keith fell onto him with a heavy thump, but Lance was ready for his light body. He lifted his prince in his arms, and moved slowly down to the others.

But Shiro’s eyes widened. “Behind you!”

A black fissure erupted in a wide arc behind Lance, coming from the base of the thick tree. Like a weird portal, more and more sentries appeared, the blackened smoke spiralling and distorting the view. One appeared directly behind Lance and pushed him away, yanking Keith from his arms and lifting the unconscious prince up.

Something appeared behind them, wrapping its thick tentacles around Keith and dragging him further away.

Lance growled, feeling himself getting so cold, so very fast, the further Keith went. He immediately shot a beam at the golden tentacles monster, only satisfied as it fell back into the fissure, screaming unholy. He saw the others were making quick work of the sentries, dropping them like flies.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” Hunk cried gleefully, shocking one of the sentries with his shot, while Allura whipped two wrapped in her whip to them, knocking them down like bowling pins.

“Oh yeah, one more down,” Pidge grinned as they shot at yet another sentry, back to back with Shiro.

Lance rushed back over to Keith, seeing him heaped onto the ground. Forcing the tentacles off his body, he growled venomously at the things hurting what was his. Keith’s breathing was harsh, but his eyes were open, little slits of golden hidden under his heavy eyelids.

“ _Chiikoi?”_ Oh god, he sounded _so weak._ Keith looked around to the room, seeing his brother and the others fighting, sentries pilling up, monsters reaching out and being shot down one by one.

Lance turned his attention to his frightened prince. “Don’t pay attention to them. Look at me. It's just you and me.”

His eyes were filled with fear. “ _Lance…_ ”

“I know, I know,” He took hold of Keith’s trembling hand and placed it on his chest, so his prince could feel his steady heartbeat. “See I’m not scared. Know why? Because I am confident you won’t die,” He held Keith closer to him, caging his soulmate in his arms. “I won't let you.” He vowed.

Keith looked up at him, watching as Lance reached for his phaser, letting out a breath and taking shots and anything that dared come near them that wasn’t one of them. He felt warm all over, a heavy heated pressure wrapped around his body, protecting him, comforting him as Lance’s arms wrapped around his waist, body leaned into him, holding him close. His touch scorched through Keith’s skin, Lance's thick, quick heart beating in his ear. His eyes widened in fear of the unknown, yet he let Lance in, welcoming into his heat. Oh, the power Lance held over him.

But Lance hadn’t noticed the sentry coming up behind them. Keith was quick, reaching for the ever present blade on his back, feeling it turn into a sword in his arms, the weight practically a part of him. His body was weak, but he raised his sword up and sliced right through the sentry, watching it fall into a heap.

“Thanks babe,” Lance grinned, holding Keith closer, feeling the heated hilt of Keith’s blade at his back. It was shuddering with Keith’s falling strength, but he knew Keith had his back.

Keith grinned, he could feel his chiikoi’s thoughts so clearly now. Lance’s need to protect him was so immense it stunned him. And here Keith was thinking of leaving him. Why did _he_ matter so much to the human? Keith still had no idea who or what he was, and yet here Lance was Keith’s life literally in his hands and all Keith could think was how right this felt. How perfect they fit.

His chiikoi really was amazing.

The dust settled, and the six were the only ones standing. The fissure of black crackled before completely disappearing. He felt the ship rumble around them, the lights flooded, the monitors seized, the illusion glitching as it broke, exposing wires and piping around them, breaking out of their sockets.

“It’s going down!” Shiro yelled, ushering them all out of the room.

Lance held onto Keith and got up quickly, following the others as they quickly made their way through the hallways and stairs, down the lower decks and out of the breaking down ship. The dropped to the sea, coughing at the salt water stinging their noses and tongues. Lance’s grip never once faltered as they made their way onto the beach, the sandy lanai and the empty house in perfect view.

Thank god his mami and family were somewhere safe.

He stood then, holding his prince in his arms, seeing Keith had fallen unconscious again. He pressed a kiss to his forehead, feeling those ears perk up and tickle his cheek.

No one was going to hurt him, ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yes, Team Voltron are learning to fight together!  
> Lance is getting a little bloodthirsty here (along with another kind of thirsty, ayoo!)  
> Fluffy ploofy stuff for Keith getting better before the big bad shows up.
> 
> See you next time!  
> As always, with the lustrous Vernon Dursley, there is no post on Sundays.


	46. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter new character!

For quiznak sakes.

The loud humming of machinery, and metal clanging with metal and stone, bellowed through the large cave turned dark temple, dulling any other sound trying to get through. The large cave temple turned machine faction stood in the vast deserted land in the centre of nowhere.

Well, at least Matt Holt knew he was still on _earth,_ which was a small miracle all on its own.

This place he had called home for the past few months, this odd caved temple hybrid thing, however, was one of the most important buildings in Zarkon’s plans, and it was just as loud as ever.

Despite popular belief, Matt was never a light sleeper. His fucking huge _dick_ -tator of a master could attest to that, seeing as they had sole responsibility for him, along with the man who was not nearly as important as he himself. However, the only reason the other guy was even mentioned was to prove that Matt was not a light sleeper. Not anymore.

He’d never make that mistake again.

Even before he had been taken by the bad guys, and recently became prisoner and lived at the temple made of stone that built machines all day, odd clanging sounds were never a stranger to him. He had worked in the Galaxy Garrison’s engineering department after all. And he had been one of the top students in his class as well, not that he was trying to brag or anything – he totally was. But honestly, he was so out of it right now, that even _that_ felt humble to the shit he had been through these past few months.

After he and his father had been kidnapped by these purple skinned monsters all those months ago and, together they were forced to build and make and create these android machines for “the good of the empire”, he had sought to stay down, stay quiet, and build his rebellion from the ground up.

He thought he was doing well.

He and his father had been separated not soon after, and Matt vowed he’d find his father before he even attempted to get out of here. _Together,_ they’d take down this asshole dick-tator and reclaim earth as their own once again.

This sound, however, was not a clang of metal against metal, or stone against stone, or even stone against metal. This was a…familiar clanging, a detested and dreaded sound.

Footsteps.

“Ah fuck,” he cursed and sat up on his desk, having fallen asleep on it, exhausted from the days’ events. Papers were strewn all over the metal work top. He sighed. Katie was usually the more pragmatic out of the two of them – not that he’d ever admit it to his little sister – but right now, all he could think about was his family. No one knew where he was, and _he_ didn’t even know where his father was – they had taken him _somewhere_ after they had been captured, but he had heard rumours that his father was _still_ here, somewhere deep in the caverns of the building.

His will to work for the bad guys – because what else could they be but bad – was the only thing stopping them from kidnapping his sister and mother. And he really wished his mother and little sister Katie was safe from all of this.

Darkness covered the entire room, clawing its way through the ring of light created by the dimly lit overhead beams. They gave the whole room a harsh glow, with sharp shadowy corners and even sharper rocky walls.

He glanced at the many screens before him, thick slips of monitors all showing the same crap day in and day out. A map of the stars, ones Matt himself had never seen before in his life, let alone knew the constellations. It was beautiful to look at, to confirm the fact that there was _life_ outside of their own planet, their own _galaxy._ He hadn’t ever been so enthralled when he had first seen the pretty purple skinned alien woman, but then he saw just who she came with, what she brought with her.

The Empire.

That was what she had said to him, speaking in perfect English – which was all kinds of weird. Then again, he couldn’t really say anything, considering they had mastered intergalactic travel _well_ before humans on Earth had.

Though he had had thousands of questions, it didn’t help when she pretty much forced him down and took him prisoner.

Note to self, never trust a pretty face.

The screen showed the galaxy, beautiful black and blue, with planets and stars dotted _everywhere,_ but so many of those planets were painted a harsh red. The Galra Empire, the ones Zarkon and his army had taken over.

He had heard from the others who had been kidnapped that the Galran’s and Zarkon’s reign had lasted over ten thousand years. That seemed….physically impossible. Then again, _aliens._

The monitors gave off an ethereal glow as it showed the red slowly taking over more and more of the screen. It seemed almost beautiful amongst the clanging and thudding.

His hand hovered over the monitor, tall figure towering over the pedestal. The dim glow making his dark eyes shine. This was absolute bullshit. And he was going to fight back.

As soon as he knew exactly where his father was. And as soon as he figured out just where _he_ was.

He felt a loud, long screeching pain press up against the side of his head, as if something sharp was slicing through his skin. But there was nothing there. This was the reason for that abhorrent sound that woke him up in the middle of the night.

“We have finally found him,” A thick, someone wheezing voice echoed around the room.

Matt got up suddenly, and quietly made his way to the closed door to his room. Peering up through the bars that took over the top half of the door, he saw a humanoid face hidden behind a large black cloak making her way into the room he was in.

It was the alien witch!

A few feet in front of her, pushing the door open, and squashing Matt to the wall by the door, was the red armoured Zarkon, his large body hulking over the smaller cloaked alien witch as they spoke to one another.

“It seems we have,” Zarkon murmured to the smaller witch. His smirk made Matt squirm, it just did not look right on his shark like face.

“He has found his chiikoi,” The wheezing witch replied. “We must get rid of _him_ first,”

A frown appeared on Zarkon’s thin lips. He raised his arm up to the space in front of him, a flurry of dark purple smoke erupted in front of him as a behemoth tentacle monster appeared before him, its’ golden skin and iridescent tentacles glistening and swaying in the darkness.

Matt had seen this beast on the monitors before. This was an alien from one of the planets they had control over, this golden one in particular was considered the king of the beasts.

He heard a shuffle of cloth behind him, but paid it no heed to it. He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder, pushing him down. The slice of something sharp pressing into his skin once again, making him grimace.

“I want him destroyed,” Zarkon grinned, dragging Matt from his hiding spot behind the door. Matt flinched as he was dragged to the middle of the room, in front of the monitors. Zarkon's claw like fingers tightened on his shoulder, making him wince. “Or I will destroy your entire family.”

Well...quiznak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Matty boy...


	47. Chapter 47

Quiznack.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

Lance had felt like he had been asking that question too many times in the past few hours. But it still stood to reason. What the hell _was_ he supposed to do now?

He had tried his hardest to keep the aggravated scream in, but it came out as a frustrated growl, making Pidge, who had been dutifully standing next to him, jump and stare down at him with dark calculating eyes.

Lance shook his head, watching as Allura worked on Keith’s poor withering body.

Oh god, Keith. He had been so pale, he had lost so much blood, and there was something in his system now that Allura had tried her hardest to completely wash out – they had drugged him when they had taken him. That stupid tentacle monster that had made a dead man its puppet. Shooting it five times in his head had not been nearly enough for the pain he had caused Keith.

No one was going to cause harm to Keith. No more.

If any of those sentries or that asshole Zarkon even caught whiff of his Keith…damn, Lance clenched his hands to fists as he thought of his querido hurt. He’d rip those assholes limb from fucking limb if the so much as touched a hair on his pretty head.

“Lance, you gotta eat something,” Pidge’s voice broke through the stillness.

“I’m not—” As if to answer for him, Lance’s stomach growled, he looked down, cheeks turning red.

“Alright, stay here.” Pidge said with a small smile, “I’ll get you something to eat,”

Lance watched as Pidge made their way out of the bedroom and into the kitchens, most likely. His gaze darted straight back to Keith, seeing his prince just lying there. Lance lost his smile, watching as Allura tied and bandaged his leg back up again – the third time they had to do this in less than a day, and made sure he was healing properly.

There was an IV drip on the corner of the bed filled with that same starry liquid Allura had given him before, but diluted in saline it seemed – Lance had not been paying much attention, too worried for his prince. And there was a small monitor beeping in the corner of the room – Allura had been adamant to go to the hospital once Keith had been settled, and brought back everything she could think of to help aid Keith in his need.

She had told the hospital about her needing to _practice_ with the equipment, and they had trusted her enough to let her take whatever it was they could spare for her. She had been quick to create a small hospital room in his bedroom, and he was glad for it.

He hoped Keith would feel better, knowing he was in a familiar place.

Keith had been a complete mess when he had first crash landed onto earth, but right now, he looked even worse. His slightly splotchy lavender skin was so pale that it almost looked a completely ghastly moonlight white. His hair was a complete nest of a mess, his lips a stark and whitened pink, his eyes were sunken in and bruised black. He was sleeping – peacefully, thank god – but he looked _so_ vulnerable right now.

Three rapped knocks sounded on the wood of the door, but Lance didn’t turn around, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from his prince. He heard Shiro and Hunk enter the room, telling Allura that they had checked the perimeter of the property and had not seen or heard of any more of those tentacles, that monster, or anything else.

A thick and solid _shunk_ sounded around the house, and Lance instinctively knew Shiro had put the barriers back up around the house again. He hoped that this meant nothing else could come in again.

They had thought they had been safe in the house, after all. They had been together, Keith had been smiling so prettily, looking so beautiful, and then he had been taken, ripped from Lance’s own hands.

He wasn’t safe here, hell none of them were.

Lance was glad his family had all gone as far away as they could. They had called a few hours ago, telling Lance they had arrived safely, and were going to move on ahead to his abuelita’s home in the country.

They’d be safer there. Far away from here.

_Keith._

He didn’t notice the food in front of him until Hunk physically shoved it into his hands. Lance shook himself from his thoughts, turning to the others nodding as a thanks to Pidge. Looking down to the food, he smiled at the sandwich and took a bite out of it. He had been hungrier than he had initially thought.

Keith must be hungry too.

“He’s gonna be okay,” Hunk said, placing a heavy and warm hand on Lance’s shoulder.

Lance let out a long breath. “Yeah,” He nodded to Hunk, hoping to show he was a little more confident than he actually felt. He had to; otherwise he’d probably break down and cry.

Allura suddenly got up, finishing wrapping Keith’s leg and wiping away at the blood on his skin. She checked his IV and drip and nodded. “Now all we can do is wait.”

Lance settled onto the corner of his bed, holding his plate on his lap, taking a few small bites out of it, as he watched his prince sleeping. The others slowly left the room once by one, leaving him alone with the alien.

Lance didn’t notice, he wasn’t going to let Keith out of his sight.

 

_Where am I now?_

Keith sucked in a deep breath, slowly opening his eyes in the dimly lit darkness. Okay, so he was able to move again, that meant he wasn’t back at that god awful forest of a prison.

He had been terrified when that monster had taken him away from his chiikoi, felt those barbed tentacles inject something angel’s awful feeling into his body, making him feel all sorts of wrong. He had been stuck in the forest, in the dark, unable to move, unable to think, unable to do _anything._

They had strung him up, struck him so many times, and left him there to bleed, to die. He could _feel_ the cold seep into him as more and more of his blood dripped out of him. If it hadn’t been for the Balmeran crystal in his chest, in his soul, he’d have died a long time ago.

But it was as if _they_ knew that. Whoever it was that had taken him away from his chiikoi this time.

His bod was trying to work with what little strength he had left in him. Thankfully he had been prepared for this. The Balmeran crystal, the strength of the space beast, had kept him alive for however long he had been stuck there.

But this place…the heady scent of sunshine and salt and water engulfed his mind and he knew he was back, back to where he wanted to be, where he desired to be. He was back with his chiikoi. He was back with Lance.

With a low groan, he forced himself up and off the warmth of the bed, and looked at his surroundings. He wasn't alone, he noticed Lance laying at his feet, head resting against his foot, eyes closed and his body rising and falling with his breathing. It was dark, but Keith could see him so clearly.. There was a thin sliver of starlight coming from the cracked and smashed window – there was a thick tarp like material covering it, keeping it as closed as the material possibly could, but it illuminated over his chiikoi's face, making him look so wondrous.

He was sitting on Lance’s bed – or well, he could call this his bed, since he had yet to do anything else on this planet than lay and sleep in it. It was still just as soft and surprisingly warm, had…had Lance tucked him into his bed again? Shaking his head at that, no one had tucked him in since he was a cub, he was a power, strong Galran prince—by the angels, _what_ was that heavenly scent?

Turning to the table on the side where he could single out the delicious scent, he saw a mug with a picture of a small cat on it, covered by a small plate with the same motif. He lifted the plate slowly and carefully, fully expecting something to jump out at him. But instead he was met with the sting of the delicious scent on his nose. Looking in, he saw a sweet, brownish liquid swirling inside.

What was that…it was…hot and looked thick and had a small hint of something spicy in it.

Oh wow. Whoever had made this had known exactly what he liked. He reached for the cup, completely pulling off the plate and placing it on the table. The cup was hot to touch, but it was the kind of heat that made him feel warm all over.

Looking at the liquid again, he noticed a few small white cubes bobbing inside; they looked soft, and were melting into the brown liquid. It seemed to add certain sweetness to the scent, and he was anxious to try it.

Pressing the warm ceramic to his lips, he was about to drink the lovely concoction, when the body at his foot shifted suddenly, quick at getting up as if he had had a nightmare, screaming Keith's name as loud as he could. Keith’s body decided to fight instead of flight, and he threw the cup into the air, reaching for the knife at his back – which was not there, he noted with grievance.

But with physics, what goes up must come down after all. And with one look at his beautiful chiikoi waking from a nightmare, the mug cracked onto the wall behind the bed and the liquids it contained sloshed all over Keith’s hair and face.

“Quiznak,”


	48. Chapter 48

Oh shit.

Lance shuffled forward, taking the cup shards from Keith’s fingers, placing them on the table, and brushing his fingers at the hot chocolate slipping into Keith's hair and ears. He blew at the steam coming off from his prince's head, Keith's forehead was slick with the hot liquid and Lance knew he was probably hurting him.

Keith’s eyes were wide, and his breathing was coming out in short gasps, he was definitely coming back from the shock of pain. Lance held Keith close and carried him, bridal style, all the way up from his bed and to the bathroom. He pushed the bathroom door open, flicking on the light, and placed Keith onto the closed toilet lid. He knew Keith needed to get cooled down and cleaned off to feel better, his clothes were sticky and soaked through as well. He'd have to get those clothes off him. But he needed to see to the burning first.

Panic was written in Keith’s eyes and fear and pain showed on his face. Lance felt the need to ease his fears.

“Don’t be afraid, tesoro,” he said softly, “ _I’m your chiikoi;_ I won’t let anything harm you,”

Keith shook his head, and Lance was mesmerised by the loosened tendrils of hair gliding around his face, making him look softer than he had ever seen. He stopped Keith from getting away taking his chin and guiding their faces closer. Were they going to kiss? Lance hadn’t intended it, but when Keith closed his eyes, Lance couldn’t help himself.

But he _had_ to stop himself, they could get to kissing later, they needed to get rid of the pain first. He wet a towel and pressed it across Keith’s face. Those pretty yellow purple eyes blinking open, watching him with awe. It made Lance’s heart swell.

Oh… _chiikoi…_ he was starting to understand.

Once he was done, he pulled Keith closer to him, hugging the alien tight to his chest. Keith fell onto him, clutching at his shirt. Ay dios, Keith was so perfect, and Lance was so…

…worthless, pathetic…not good enough.

No. He wasn’t going to think like that.

“I’m here, I’ll always be here.” He murmured, running his fingers through Keith’s hair. Keith let out a whimper and buried his head in Lance’s chest, damp ears slapping against his cheek. He took in a deep breath in, glad Keith was complying, he had expected Keith to be a little worried, a little closed off after everything that happened. He paused, his voice in a low growl. “No one is taking you away from me,”

Keith gasped at the intensity of his voice. Ooh…angels.

“ _I’m sticky_ ,” Keith murmured. _"What are you going to do about it, chiikoi?"_

He heard Lance mumble something under his breath, but didn’t catch what it was. Lance had instead pulled Keith head back to his chest, running his fingers through Keith’s hair. But he paused, his fingers grasping at the wiry dark clumps. Ah…right…the hot chocolate had marshmallows in it. He had thought it would be sweet for Keith, something he himself liked. Lance had just wanted to see that face, the same wonder filled face he saw when Keith had tried the pasta.

Keith let out a small moan when Lance tugged his hair back. Lance pulled him back, holding him at arm’s length and took a good long look at him. Keith turned red as his intense gaze roved over him.

“Yeah, maybe we should take a shower.” He said ultimately, standing up and pulling Keith up with him. Keith couldn't help but be tugged along. Lance pulled him to the shower and sat him at the edge of the porcelain bath tub.

“Sit,” He commanded, using a voice that made Keith’s pulse quicken. Keith obeyed and stayed on the edge of the tub. Lance dropped down onto his knees in front of the prince. He took a tight hold of Keith’s ankle and pulled his leg closer. “Okay, we’ll do this slowly,”

Keith closed his eyes and let out a long breath as he allowed Lance to do as he pleased with him. Taking in the heat of Lance's fingers skittered around his ankle, grip tightening smoothly, his very touch like fire. Angel’s Keith loved him so much.

“ _So, this is happening then,_ ” Keith asked, turning a shade of red at what he was implying.

Lance continued, slipping his fingers up in a small massage, frowning at the tense muscle he met. Keith needed to relax, and maybe Lance could give him a proper massage to help him.

Keith sighed out loud. It was so easy to get addicted to this, to him. Oh, who was he kidding, he already was hooked to Lance. He loved his chiikoi so deeply already. His eyes followed Lance’s every move, ears attune to his every breath…his voice. Oh, his voice made him squirm in all the right places. It made him hot, made him want to rip off Lance’s shirt and take a bite of his neck.

“We gotta get this off you and get you scrubbed clean,” Lance replied, pinching the back of Keith’s calf, tugging at his pyjama bottoms. Keith gasped at the surprisingly pleasurable feeling he felt. Who knew the back of the knee was an erogenous zone?

He let out a gasp as Lance brushed his warm fingers absentmindedly up his pyjama covered leg until he reached his thigh. His touch sent bolts of lightning through Keith’s body. The kind of lightening that made him want to open up to Lance, rather than curl away and running as far as he could. He shivered, acutely noticing the heated fingers curling under the hem of his pyjamas and pulling them down slowly.

Oh, angels. Keith moaned, shuddering in Lance’s grasp, hoping for more contact. His heart was beating in his ears and he felt completely out of control. His body was revelling in his head, telling him that this was all he needed. He closed his eyes, his body thrumming at the sensations, his fingers gripped the edge of the tub in anticipation.

Oh angels, what was Lance doing to him? Pressing deeply at his muscles. How…how was this possible? His skin was tingling with heat, of the good kind. He groaned and opened his eyes, gasping when he looked up to see Lance towering above him.

Angels, that was amazing… but he was acting so wanton, then again, Lance _was_ taking his pyjamas off.

“Just relax now,” His voice was soft, yet demanding. And Keith felt his body immediately unwind. What Lance’s voice did to him…

Lance smirked, taking Keith’s chin in his hand and guided their mouths together. Keith’s mouth softened beneath his and Lance heard his heart beat quicken under his fingers. More importantly, Keith didn’t pull away.

Reaching around Keith’s head, Lance did the thing he’d thought of doing ever since he saw those pretty cat like ears – he tugged lightly at the points of his ears, sliding his fingers through the so soft curves, letting his fingers unwind in his soft, still slightly clumpy, hair. He tugged Keith towards him, holding him close as he deepened the kiss. He tilted his head and possessed Keith’s mouth as he’d recently fantasised about doing…and he did it over and over until they were both breathless.

“Dios, Keith, you are so beautiful.” He murmured.

Keith shook his head, denying such a fact, cheeks turning a bright red and body curling inwards. “No…Lance…you’re mistaken, I’m…I…I’m not at my best right now,”

Lance thought he looked beautiful? No. No, no, no. His hair was a nest of frizz right now, the hot drink tangling his tendrils into a mess. He was probably bloodied and bruised. He looked horrid. How could Lance think him beautiful?

Lance furrowed his eyebrows, seeing the disbelief in Keith’s eyes. Had he not seen himself in a mirror? Did they not _have_ mirrors? Did he not see what Lance saw? Did he not see the way his eyes looked like amethyst on liquid gold, his body arching gracefully into his own, teasing him, begging for his touch? He looked like he wanted to be ravished, and Lance desperately wanted to eat him up.

“You look so calm, so relaxed,” Lance answered for him, forcing him to look up. “You are perfect,”

He understood and he knew Keith’s body did as well, even though he might deny it. There was no denying the heat in his cheeks, his ragged breath, the feel of his quickened heartbeat under Lance’s lips.

“You’re perfect,” Keith replied quietly. “You’re mine, right?”

Lance nodded, feeling the blood thundering through his veins, lust heating it and pushing it faster and hotter through him. He took in and released several deep breaths. But the way he said it, his voice was breathless, whisper soft against his own lips. Lance really felt safe here, like he belonged.

Wait…

Lance broke the kiss slowly, letting his thoughts come to a complete circle.

“I understand you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....what is happening?


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my sweet treats!  
> Thank you so much for all of your kind comments and kudos!  
> Sorry for the inconsistency of chapter updates. Hospital life can suck really bad. But I'm getting through it.  
> Reading your comments makes me happy!  
> So thank you dearies.
> 
> Now, on with the chapter.  
> Just FYI, Galran anatomy is a little different, its touched up here, but it'll be explained more later.

It was like a switch had been flipped.

He understood what Keith was saying, what he was feeling. It was…he didn’t understand what the hell was going on, but he wasn’t going to question how he suddenly knew how to speak Galran, or how Keith knew how to speak English. Fuck, whatever it was…he didn’t care!

The heat was pushing through him faster and faster, getting hotter and hotter. He gulped in several deep breaths, needing his control. His grip on Keith’s so pretty face didn’t falter, instead he pulled Keith in closer, kissing him more gently now, and sliding his other hand down Keith’s neck and shoulders, skimming over his solid chest.

He felt Keith gasp at the feel of his fingers. He grinned.

Keith waited for the inevitable as he enjoyed Lance’s sweet kisses. He gasped when Lance’s tongue slipped into his mouth, touching his own, sending shivers and chills through his body. He felt the heat of Lance’s hand moving away from his head, fingers slipping down and touching at his chest, easing over his belly. Strange coils of tension began to twist deep within him, making him crave _more._ Just when he thought Lance would touch him _there,_ Lance paused, and kissed him more fiercely, before resting his hand on Keith’s hip.

Sensations unlike anything Keith had felt raced through his blood and his heart and his body, urging him to move closer, to open to his chiikoi and to this enticing heat that built from within him. When Lance stopped and lifted his head, Keith recognized the look in his pool blue eyes. It was the same as he himself was feeling. Lust, need, desire.

_Love._ His chiikoi loved him.

“Take off your shirt,” Lance said his voice deeper than usual.

He was using an oddly comforting commanding voice with Keith, but all Keith could think of was how intense his touch was, how pleasant and pleasurable it was compared to any other time Lance had touched him, held his hand, held him close. This was different, this was urgent. This…

_This was love…_

“I…” Keith said, shaking his head and laughing hesitantly. “I guess I don’t suit this type of alien clothing,”

The expression that filled Lance’s eyes then made Keith lose his breath. It was hot and lustful and aimed at him. Lance dipped his head closer to Keith’s ear. “Take. It. Off.”

Keith’s body grew heated and wet between his legs and a strange and wondrous ache began to throb there, too. The urge to rub against him and the hardness of his strong body grew and Keith felt himself arch against Lance. Oh god, his voice was pure sin. Before Keith knew what he was about to do, Lance had scooped him up in his arms. Keith wanted to ask him so many things but the feelings racing through his body pushed all his questions and doubts aside as he allowed Lance to hold him close.

“Trust me, _chiikoi_.” This time his words were spoken softly, a plea more than an order and it warmed Keith.

Pulling back, he put himself directly in Lance’s line of sight. Keith was well aware that to an outsider what he was about to do might seem bizarre, but there was no one there but himself and Lance. Feeling a strange mixture of hope and erotic need, he began to slowly take his clothes off. He knew he wasn't going to look the same as this human, a lot of his  _parts_ would not match Lance's own. Self-consciously, he slowed down, running his fingers over his chest and body, trying to figure out just how much he had changed since being in that pod. The last time he had actually really looked at himself was when he had woken up that morning on his own home planet and had taken a cursory glance in the mirror.

He looked absolutely awful right now, a ragged, one legged pale skinned Galran pretending to be an alien on a planet he was stranded on. His gaze darted to Lance and his body stilled. Those eyes...they were so intense, so intune to everything Keith was doing. It...it empowered Keith to move, to do more. Cut it's head. His father had said. But patience yields focus, his brother had said. So he did just that.

Of course the shirt was oddly tight on his heated body and he didn’t exactly look sexy, but he took it off as calmly as he could, working the pyjamas off his hips and pushing the soft cloth down his leg. Was Lance enjoying this? Keith couldn’t be sure but he thought Lance was. He was down to his underclothes now, a tight pair of navy blue lace that made his skin look creamy and soft.

Glancing to Lance's own lap, he saw the tented bulge and  _knew_ he was a lot different than Lance would expect him to be. Male Lance's had a different set of parts to his. And angel's, was he eager to see more. But did  _Lance_ want to see?

“That looks very uncomfortable,” Lance murmured, so quietly Keith had to strain to hear him. “Take them off too?”

Oh...Keith had never done this before, never exposed himself willingly to a lover like this and he couldn’t help but feel like his heart was trying to pound its way out of his chest. But this was for his chiikoi, this was for Lance. Swallowing his shyness, he reached for the hem of his underwear, the usually smooth and soft lace feeling tight and scratchy against his skin. He didn’t understand how it was so easy for him to expose himself like this to Lance. It felt so natural and perfect he knew it was right at once.

He didn’t want this to stop; he wanted Lance to touch him more. Lance answered his plea by leaning forward and nuzzling his chest and neck, dropping open mouthed kisses on his pale skin. Keith gasped and looked down to see Lance’s eyes had turned darker, filled with hunger. Lance wanted him – needed him.

“Chiikoi…” He whispered, pressing forward to rub against Lance, God Lance’s scratchy cheeks felt so good against his tender flesh.

“My sweet little chiikoi,” Lance’s voice sounded hoarse, but the longing in his tone could not be denied. He hooked his finger under the hem of Keith’s underwear and pushed it down, all the way off his body.

“Lance…” Keith stood before him, completely naked.

But Lance stopped, moving him to the centre of the bathroom. He turned the shower on. A sudden blast of hot water steamed the room quickly. He quickly took off his over shirt and placed it around Keith, keeping him warm while he unbuttoned his own shirt. Keith sucked in a breath, the scent of Lance from his shirt calming his nerves. He could do this, it felt right.

Lance’s firm hands wrapped around him, trapping Keith against his side, his hard, muscular body pinned Keith’s against the shower tiles. Keith’s mind whirled. Was he really going to do this? Would he be _able_ to do this? Or would he just freeze up in the middle of it all? What if he did it all wrong? What if what he did was _weird?_ They were so different after all.

His heart hammered against his chest, cutting his breath into shocked fragments.

“I’m not going to hurt you, kitten,” Lance murmured, his breath was hot against Keith’s ear. Damn, he was strong, his grip tightened to iron.

“Chiikoi,” Keith yelled, grasping at Lance’s open shirt and tugging it from his body.

“Oh my little kitten. Just can’t help yourself, can you?” Then he bit Keith’s ear softly, just enough to send a hot rush straight through his body and make him moan. Keith froze, this feeling was new, he needed a moment to come into terms with this. Lance paused. “Want me to stop?”

Keith shook his head. "Never,"

Lance chuckled, his eyes were dark with desire. His bow shaped lips curled into a smile, driving Keith wild. “You can stop me whenever you want, okay?”

Keith nodded, smiling. The way Lance whispered such sweet seductions in his ear, and slowly kissed his neck, it was enough to drive Keith hot with desire. Lance’s body felt fit and fine toned as it pressed against his in a shameful way. Lance grabbed his hips, pressing their bodies so much closer together, until Keith was draped over him, unable to stay steady on his one leg. The hot touch of Lance's obvious arousal made Keith gasp and moan loudly...oh god, it felt so big. Lance raked his fingers through Keith’s hair and angled his head to one side. Keith moaned again, unable to do much else. He was trapped against Lance’s warm, delicious weight pressed against every inch of him. Taking in a ragged breath, he found he couldn’t do anything other than stare at him.

Lance gave him a predatory look that made him shiver. “I promised you a shower,”


	50. Chapter 50

Lance’s steely look made Keith shiver.

Here they were, completely naked, standing in the middle of the shower, alone. And Lance didn’t even look worried about the way he…looked. Maybe…maybe this could _work?_ No. A shower, they were only here for a shower.

Lance turned them to the hot water and held him under the streams. Keith sucked in a breath at the sudden warmth hitting his skin. But Lance’s fingers were hotter. He watched his chiikoi, unable to move – not wanting to – as those smooth brown hands reached for the wash cloth. Lance squirted shower gel onto it, lathering sweet smelling foam. He ran the washcloth down Keith’s arms and body, slowly yet methodically cleaning him.

Keith felt something twist in his abdomen while his heart did a strange tumble at Lance’s warm salty sweet scent. Gasping at Lance’s other hand running along his neck and back, hands large enough to encapsulate his entire back, tenderizing the skin. The feel of him made Keith groan, his eyes flashing dark with desire. He fought valiantly at it, needing to hold himself back. But it was difficult. His heart was aching, yearning, wanting oh-so-badly for a taste of him.

“Oh kitten,” Lance purred, hearing Keith mewl. Getting a hold of himself; Lance instead focused on those intense yellow purple eyes, running his free hand down Keith’s soapy, moonlight white side. He felt Keith’s body shudder and he strained not lunge at his soft flesh, to sink his teeth deeply into Keith’s neck.

Where the hell had _that_ thought come from?

Shaking his thoughts, he instead focused on his job. This was not the time to… _think of that…_ he could hear Keith’s heart beat pounding as his hands glided down those smooth thighs; not going near his bandages – or anywhere else for that matter -- rising up to his sides again, pressing the washcloth lightly on his skin.

Several shivers ran down Keith’s spine and Lance began to feel very aroused at those kittenish mewled moans. Lance leaned down, blowing lightly into his kitty cat ears. He could see quite well even in the steam filled bathroom, and he knew that Keith was very attractive, so much wider and muscular, fuelling his growing lust.

Blushing at how Lance was touching him everywhere he licked his lips nervously, looking anywhere but up to Lance’s face.

“Look at me.” The voice was deeper, rougher with a strange grating to it that made Keith curl up, panting for more. He gulped and looked up, breath rushing out of him in a soft ‘whoosh’ as he was caught by Lance’s bright eyes.

“Be mine, chiikoi,”

A voice inside Keith shouted in joy before he quickly stifled it, looking at Lance closely as those perfect pool blue eyes stared down at him with an unreadable expression. Something tore at Keith’s insides, making his throat clench. He gulped as Lance bent over, their noses touching as he gave a noisy sniff, deeply inhaling Keith’s scent.

He paused and he moved his head slightly to allow the overhead lights to hit his face slightly. Keith froze as the reality of what he was now struck him like a brick wall.

_Lance was his._

“Yes.” He murmured, almost instantly.

With lips forming a smirk Lance gave his earlobe a lick, his teeth scratching Keith’s skin ever so gently. Thoughts came to a screeching halt, Keith felt his motor skills go out of the window as he shivered uncontrollably; his stomach suddenly gave a strange little lurch. Lance’s large hands rubbed themselves against his back. His breath was hot, next to Keith’s ear, yet he was so gentle.

Lance moved towards his mouth, delicately at first, as though if he were to press to hard he would break his chiikoi. Then his mouth slanted on Keith’s lips fiercely. Oh, who knew someone could use a tongue like that?

Wet and hot. Lance relished Keith’s shock, taking advantage of his pliant lips and tongue, prying his way viciously into that hot mouth and sucking on his tongue, Keith’s breath coming out in pants. Growling deep in his chest Keith felt it in his bones and he gasped, shivering. Lance used the gasp, tilting his head slightly and with that tiny movement his tongue began egging Keith’s own to move, to respond.

Instinctively, Keith responded slowly, his body tightened as he touched Lance’s tongue, his hands, which had been holding onto Lance for support, started to move, grasping and clawing eager little red lines on his caramel smooth skin. Lance grinned against his mouth, pulling back slightly.

“My pretty kitten can’t control yourself can you?” It wasn’t a question, more like a demand. Keith felt slightly justified that he wasn’t the only one breathing a bit heavier but he knew he was bright red.

He had never felt so hot before, it was similar to a fever but without the feeling of a headache or sore throat. Without even realizing his neck craned slightly, allowing Lance’s tongue to sear even more deeply into his mouth. Everything seemed hazy, nothing felt real.

“Yes!” He said, louder this time. “Yes! Make me yours, my chiikoi,”

Lance’s hot fingers touched the graceful arch of his sides, running down along the slope to his waist, but he strayed away from where Keith really wanted him. That tease! He wondered how Lance’s touch could leave him so incredibly overheated.

Lance drew him in closer to the stream of the hot shower, their bodies soaking, slippery and hot. He felt Lance’s interested cock press hard against his stomach, but he didn’t have the chance to look down to see what Lance was doing. His mouth grasping at unknown and unspoken words on the tip of his tongue, Lance’s teeth tugged at his bottom lip, dragging deliciously.

Keith tried to look at him, to see him. But when he saw those pool blue eyes dark, intense, watching him; fiercely taking in his every expression as he kissed his way down Keith’s stomach, he had to look away for fear of what his own vulnerable eyes might reveal.

Lance’s dug his teeth in Keith’s stomach, making his mind reel with new and sweet tingling shivers sent straight to his nerves.

“You’ve made me the happiest person ever.” Lance muttered to him, licking at the marks he had made on Keith’s purpling skin. His dark eyes fluttered open to lock with Keith’s own. “My kitten, my chiikoi, my Keith.”

“Yours! Yes! Yours!” Keith gasped when Lance’s teeth grazed his over sensitive skin. He grasped at Lance’s shoulders, keeping balance on one leg, but it prevented him from moving further, from pushing Lance lower to where he really wanted him. His body grew more and more heated under Lance’s gaze, ever the more yielding. Lance’s weight sinking down on him was marvellous and exotic. So completely frightening, but luring and exciting.

This was what Shiro had told him about the utter ecstasy one felt with their chiikoi, the perfect need. They slot together, like two puzzle pieces, creating an unbreakable bond, so profound, so unfathomable. Oh angels, this was worth everything he had gone through to get here.

“Please…chiikoi!” Lance was amazed at the response he gave him, babbling nonsensical words from mere teasing.

But Keith froze. Lance’s gaze immediately rose to him.

“Your family are outside!” He gasped, unable to find his voice as Lance’s fingers traced random patterns on his arm.

His words pleased Lance. That innocence. Untouched and free of corruption. Untainted. He wanted to stain Keith forever with his essence. He still couldn’t believe he could understand Keith, and that Keith had said yes!

“Come on now kitten, you wanted this from the start didn’t you?” Lance asked, reaching for Keith’s hand and pressing it to the bite mark Keith had made on his neck just a few days before.

He heard Lance chuckle, his words sent a chill down Keith’s spine. They were together now, weren’t they? Unstoppable. Nothing would ever get in their way now.

He slowly lowered his head to the crook of Lance’s neck. Nuzzling and kissing and teasing with his hot lips, drawling out the moment of tight, tense fear for Lance. Something changed in his mood then, so quickly it almost frightened him had he not known this was perfection.

He smirked in the darkness, his eyes turning mischievous and dangerous. Lance was pleasantly paralysed beneath him, feeling like he was lying in the arms of a predator. His heart hammered in his chest, excited.

“Well, then you shouldn’t scream,” He murmured into Lance’s ear. He dipped his head down and his lips grazed against Lance’s neck, over the healing bite mark. Lance’s mouth fell open when his teeth nipped ever so carefully. Good god, his neck was always extra sensitive. That one touch felt like Keith had shot a bolt of electricity through his whole body. Had he already not been on his knees, he would have definitely fallen to them. He tried so hard to bite back a scream, but he couldn’t help but moan Keith’s name out loud.

Keith lifted his head and caught Lance’s open mouth in a kiss so impossibly slow, Lance thought he would unravel beneath him. Keith’s lips were so soft and persuasive against his own and Keith made sure he had captured Lance’s full attention before his hands began to wander.

“Fuck, Keith,” Lance gasped, knowing Keith had turned the tables.

Everything was…perfect.

Too bad the perimeter alarm going off had to fuck it all up.

**Author's Note:**

> So...what do you think?


End file.
